


Rogue

by Laventriloque



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Dom Harry Styles, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Omega Louis, Omega Verse, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Possessive Harry, Protective Harry, Protectiveness, RPF, Romantic Soulmates, Smut, Soulmates, Sub Louis Tomlinson, Top Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2020-12-31 01:41:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 84,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21038183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laventriloque/pseuds/Laventriloque
Summary: Werewolf AU 'cause there aren't enough already :)“No, Liam! How many times do I have to… before you finally… NO WAY … a rogue in our pack?… cannot trust him … don’t care to know him … have enough members to worry about.”He hears more indistinct shouts before he hears pretty clearly: “His own pack didn’t want him!”Sitting here, his precious bag between his feet and everyone in the room looking at him, some with pity, some with disdain, some with curiosity, Louis feels like someone squeezed his heart in their hands and isn’t letting it go. He wills his head to stay up high and his posture to stay confident. He will not flee the room. He will not let that stupid lump in his throat get the better of him. He will stay here until Liam returns. He will take the rejection in stride and move on. Like he’s been doing all his life."--Louis is a rogue Omega who's suffered through rejection and abuse for the biggest part of his life. He stumbles onto the Styles pack, quite possibly the kindness one he's ever met.**Updates every Monday!**





	1. Prologue

The rhythm of his feet hitting the ground, the irregular beating of his heart and his erratic breathing are the only sounds Louis’ ears can pick up. He knows he is panting and probably wheezing and he knows they’re closing in, he can only focus on putting one foot in front of the other and so on as fast as his wolf will allow without shifting. 

In between two beats of his heart, he hears a threatening growl from one of his closest pursuers. Closer than Louis was expecting. He almost falls, trying to propel his body further than his feet will permit. 

The border is visible now. He can see the ancient oak tree. His sanctuary. He knows the pack won’t go further than the border and he knows the tree will be his shelter if he can only get to it in time. And if he read the map right. 

Just as one of the wolves is closing in, he makes a hard turn, jumping over a fallen tree as he does so. His attackers are faster and stronger, being alphas and betas, but he is agile and experienced in the art of fleeing. He knows how to dodge, take sharp turns and hop over obstacles faster than any omega he’s ever known and certainly faster than the bulky, uncoordinated alphas chasing him. 

When the noisier and thus, scarier wolf almost takes a bite off his left leg, he thinks of getting rid of his backpack which is slowing him down considerably, catching in branches and killing his back from its weight. But it holds his only possessions, the only necessities he has. This worn-down pathetic shoulder bag contains the entirety of his short life. He has dragged it threw mud and sweat, through countless pursuits, through cons that almost got him killed, through tears and heart breaks. There is no way, no way in hell, he will let a stupid, weak and pathetic little pack of ridiculously idiotic werewolves make him lose his precious belonging. 

“Argh! Fuck!” 

A sharp pain takes over his right leg. His step falters for a second while he looks down at his calf. Blood is pouring out of a deep gash created by lacerated nails. The burn makes Louis’ eyes water. Through the watery vale, Louis can see the oak tree is only a few meters away. He can sense the wolves closing in on him, no intention of slowing down and Louis is panicking. He’s running on adrenaline alone, ignoring his injured leg. 

He barely makes it.

He almost runs into the gigantic trunk standing proudly and solid, right in front of him. He turns around and stops dead in his tracks. If the wolves are willing to cross the border to get to him, Louis is done for. There is no way he can power through the pain in his leg and the fire in his lungs any longer.

He almost cries from a weird mix of joy, relief and exhaustion when he sees the menacing wolves stop abruptly, so much so that they pile onto each other in a mess of limbs and confused barks. Louis has to retain his laughter: they really  _ are _ one of the most idiotic packs he’s ever encountered.

He falls to the floor and clutches his painfully pulsating leg with both his hands and leans on the sheltering tree, desperately trying to catch his breath. The pile of alphas and betas slowly disentangle themselves before their leader comes as close to Louis as the border would allow it.

“If I catch your scum rogue ass on our territory again I’ll rip your head off, is that clear?” 

The Alpha order tainting his words are so deep and intense it makes the ground underneath Louis vibrate. As usual though, it doesn’t lock the latter into place like it would any omega. It doesn’t make him cower in fear like his biology dictates it should. It doesn’t do a damn thing other than resonate through the forest and make the birds around fly out, alarmed.

Louis rolls his eyes. He grew used to pack wolves hating rogues like himself. It’s rude, is what it is. But it is predictable.

He nods his head and gives a little salute with his hand over his forehead, “YeP. Clear as day, got it.”

The Alpha of the pack growls, annoyed at the disobedience of the omega before leading his pack away from the border, away from a very relieved Louis.

The lone rogue in question sighs and allows himself a moment to breathe, closing his eyes and basking in the morning sun. And trying to ignore the sharp pain in his leg.  _ Another great day in the life of Louis Tomlinson _ , he tells himself ironically. 

He loses track of time for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet of the forest surrounding him, after such a hectic start of the day. His adrenaline from earlier now dissolved and letting exhaustion take over.

The sun’s already high up in the sky when he forces himself to get up and test out his wounded leg. Scott’s pack had found him earlier than he intended to and he hadn’t had the time to steal enough money and supplies to last him very long. He has to find a shelter before dark and try and get some food in the city if he doesn’t want to sleep on an empty stomach. Again. 

However, a groan and a swear escape his lips the instant he tries to put weight on his right leg. It’ll be harder to steal food if he can’t run or even move properly. He decides to get to the nearest city and steal people’s wallets instead. He knows his limp isn’t going to get in the way. He might actually be able to play that to his advantage. 

Matter of factly, his limp does give him a good excuse to bang into people and distract them from his furtive hands emptying their pockets and even taking some of the pricier watches off their wrists. He’s been at it for an hour or so, just walking through the busy streets when he thinks he’s got enough to take him through the week at least. Proud, he buys himself as much non perishable foods as he can get in his backpack and takes off in the direction of the woods making sure he’s closest to the east border instead of the north where Scott’s pack is still probably lurking. 

Every step he makes towards his lonely rogue survival life has become routine to him. He steals, he feeds himself, he finds shelter and repeats until he’s kicked out from whatever that territory’s pack is. Sometimes, he foolishly asks them to join their pack, but it rarely goes well. He’s lucky if he can stay more than a month undetected and he’s developed fleeing methods that most wolves, whatever their second gender, can’t keep up with. He’s gotten pretty good at stealing too. At first, he would try to get a job for his short stay wherever he was, but he’s given that up seeing as finding the job sometimes took him as much time as getting kicked out. 

He finds an abandoned looking cabin while walking in the woods and decides to stay there for the night. It’s dirty and visibly falling apart. He has doubts it’s even safe to sleep in there, but his leg is killing him and he’s exhausted. He’ll try to find something better in the morning. 

\--

Louis wakes up from a sharp pain in his injured leg and an intense wave of nausea. He sits up on the makeshift bed he’s made himself out of leaves and an old, used up blanket he’s had for years. He squeezes his eyes shut, willing his urge to vomit to go away. His breathing is erratic, he’s sweating and shivering. He knows the scratch on his leg probably got infected. His wolf is whimpering and he can’t help but let the shameful sounds escape him, telling himself that nobody is around to hear them anyway. He fumbles for his bag, not bothering to open his eyes. Louis manages to find the pills he’s stolen to some pack a couple of weeks ago and swallows two of them. He knows it won’t be enough. He’ll have to find a way to tend to the infection better than that… tomorrow. This will have to get him through the night. 

\---

Liam, in his wolf form, hears the whimpers from his hiding spot, just a couple meters away from the cabin. If you could call  _ that _ a cabin, he thinks. It takes all his will power not to help the omega in need. His Alpha commanded him to observe and report without interfering for now. He intends to obey the command. Although he has to plant his claws in the dirt to avoid making a move towards the rogue when he hears another small plea for help. 

Eventually, the omega seems to go back to sleep and Liam’s wolf manages to relax too. 

Until an hour or so later when the pained noises start again. Liam stifles a growl. He can imagine how much pain the small wolf must be in right now. He’s seen how deep the cuts were when he saw the omega run through the northern border. He knows Harry will probably make him escort the rogue out of their territory to keep the pack safe, but he can’t help feel different about this particular rogue. For one, omegas without a pack are rare. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen or heard of one. And two, he’s never seen an omega so strong willed, so independent. Observing him for a day, he can’t help but admire the small creature. When the whimpers quiet down again, Liam resolves to take him back to the pack come daylight and try and convince Harry to take him in. He simply can’t bring himself to chase this rogue away. 


	2. Headquarters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi fellow kitten saviours :)  
Just wanted to say thank you for the love on the first chapter! Kudos and lovely comments always warm my heart.  
Hope you enjoy where it's going, -Xx

Louis has been awake for at least a couple of hours when daylight peeks through the cracks of the old wooden door. He hasn’t moved yet for two reasons. His leg is killing him; the slightest shift to his position sends piercing pain through his whole body. Also and most importantly, he can smell an alpha outside the cabin. The alpha knows Louis’ in there, he’s certain of it. Why else would he have stayed outside, just meters away, immobile, for at least the two hours Louis has been awake? He’s been thinking of a plan to get away unnoticed for all that time now and he hasn’t come up with anything good. 

By the subtle and soft snoring sounds he’s been hearing for the two hours he’s been awake, Louis figures the alpha is asleep in his hideout. There lays his only advantage. He’ll try to get passed the wolf without waking him. A plan that is most likely to fail pathetically, but Louis can’t see any other avenue. He sighs, trying to ignore the twist in his stomach and gets up.

As soon as he puts pressure on his bad leg though, he can’t help the cry of pain that escapes his lips. 

“Fuck.” He mumbles between gritted teeth. He knows the alpha, if he weren’t before, is now awake and fully aware of Louis’ own consciousness. The only slight advantage he might have had is gone. 

Even worse, he can smell him getting closer, approaching the cabin. “Give me a damn break.” He mumbles while trying to get up and ignoring the incessant throbbing of his leg. As a last resort, he looks around the four decaying walls for a suitable weapon to defend himself should it come to that. Unfortunately, the cabin is mostly empty, all he sees are empty cans of food he ate the night prior and mold. Until his eyes land on a rusty wrench tossed in the corner, or maybe it’s a ratchet or a screwdriver, Louis doesn’t know. _ And it’s completely irrelevant _ , he tells himself, _ focus damn it _ . He takes the _ tool thingy _ and holds on to it, as if it would actually help him defend himself. He can try and make it intimidating. He’s big on bluffing in those types of situations anyway. 

By the time he’s ready to open the door, bag on his back and incredibly trivial weapon raised in one hand, he estimates the alpha is only a meter away from the door. 

“I’m not coming out until you back off!” He yells, hoping it’ll give him the space to flee and knowing very well that if the alpha decides to push through the door, he’s done for. He knows that with his leg, reasoning with the wolf is his only option. The problem is, that can only work if the aforementioned wolf is, in fact, reasonable. There’s a pause in which both wolves stand still, weighing in their options. “Come on…”, Louis mumbles to himself. After too long in Louis’ opinion, he senses the alpha finally backing off a few centimeters away. It’s not enough, but Louis will have to take it. He opens the door and is greeted by a very imposing brown wolf. Nothing to do with the last pack. The alpha standing before him is nothing short of majestic. Louis doesn’t get intimidated easily, but he does have to suppress his omega to avoid cowering away, back into the cabin. By instinct or stupidity he raises his oxidized construction tool higher.

Liam’s first reaction is shock. The omega is standing strong, defying him with his posture and his eyes, as if ready to fight him if necessary with nothing but an old ratchet and a wounded leg. He also notices Louis’ fear although it’s clear the latter tries to hide it. He decides to shift back to his human form, thinking this would be less intimidating and prove that he had no intentions of hurting him. 

“I’m not here to hurt you. I heard you were in pain during the night and I would like to get you some help if that’s okay.”

_ Well that was easy _, Louis thinks. He normally has to con his way through help when he needs it. Louis is taken aback by the kindness of the stranger. So much so that he has a hard time believing him, his thoughts always going straight to deception out of habit. Surely this magnificent alpha isn’t interested in mending a simple pariah’s wounds. He just doesn’t see the angle here. If he wanted to overpower Louis and take advantage of him, he would have done so by now. He’ll just have to see how it plays out. Liam notices the worry in the omega’s eyes so he adds, 

“I’m Liam, nice to meet you.” He would extend his hand to shake the omega’s, but they’re so far away it would seem ridiculous. So he just stands there waiting for the smaller one to decide what he wants to do.

Louis looks at him warily. Truth is, he doesn’t see any other options than to follow the man. He _ does _ need help with his leg and he is in no state to flee either. He’ll have to play nice and maybe he can get food and shelter out of it. He decides to lower the wrench and try to smile, he knows it looks as forced as it feels, but he does his best nonetheless. 

“I’m Louis. Nice to meet you too... I guess.” He shrugs, not knowing what to do with himself. Liam apparently doesn’t either because they both stay still and stand there looking like idiots, Louis still holding his pathetic excuse for a weapon.

“So like…”, Louis breaks the silence, “you said you’d help me with my leg?” In truth, standing like that is getting difficult, the pain almost bringing tears to his eyes. Liam sees the omega’s stance waver a bit. “Oh, right, sorry.” Liam quickly moves to help Louis support his own weight. Louis’ first instincts are to push the alpha away, not wanting to accept any help for something so stupid as walking. As soon as he tries to take a step further on his own though, he reconsiders. 

And so they walk, Louis taking support on Liam. They walk for a few minutes before they realize this is going to take way too long. They have to get to the pack’s headquarters which is closer to the south border, on the other side of the territory, almost two hundred miles away. With Louis’ injury they aren’t going much faster than an actual human being which is excruciatingly slow for both of them. 

“Okay so this is not working.” Liam says matter of factly. Louis laughs breathily, embarrassed at his incompetence.

“Yeah no kidding.” 

“Well hop on then.” Liam says just before mutating to his wolf form. He doesn’t give Louis any time to protest. The omega thinks he couldn’t be more humiliated, but he also thinks he doesn’t have a better option. So he takes place on the huge alpha’s back grabbing the fur behind his neck to steady himself. The wolf looks back at Louis to make sure he’s well positioned before taking off. 

Liam is one of the fastest wolves Louis has seen. He’s glad he didn’t have to run from him since, even without his injury, he’s pretty certain not even Louis would have been able to outrun the alpha. It takes them a little less than two hours to cover the distance needed. A lot less time then if they would have continued walking and Louis has a sympathetic thought for the insanely slow humans who’ll never know such speed.

Liam switches back to his human form right after Louis gets off his back. Louis has seen many headquarters in his roving life, but the Styles’ takes his breath away. The main house, _ more like a mansion _ , Louis thinks is _ huge _. They walk through the front lawn, Louis leaning heavily on Liam for support. Calling it a front lawn doesn’t do it justice. It’s more like an enormous park to Louis with big open spaces, gardens and quantities of trees. Sounds of laughter and banter between pups playing can be heard all around and it honestly warms Louis’ heart. He’s never felt this sentiment of peace mixed with joy walking through a pack’s main house. He tries not to imagine himself sitting on one of the benches, peacefully reading a book for the first time of his life, not caring about his next meal or potential attackers. He tries not to dwell on the fact that this is not his reality and most likely will never be. He ignores the pang in his heart while Liam takes him through the oversized doors. 

Traditionally, and from the headquarters Louis has seen in the past, the main house is reserved to the Alpha and their close relatives exclusively. That’s why, seeing the size of the place from the outside, Louis instantly thought the Alpha was surely a self-centered dick. Now though, as he slowly discovers the interior, he realizes that there are an impossible amount of werewolves living there, going in and out of rooms, cooking in the kitchen, eating on the gigantic dinner table. They pass a sort of living room where there are, again an impossible amount of werewolves, both in human form and in wolf form just playing games, laughing, chatting, reading, drawing. Some of them are playing with pups on the floor. 

Really, Louis thinks he walked into heaven. Unannounced and uninvited. Which means he’s met with curious glances and whispers as he goes through different rooms, still leaning on Liam. The more he’s surrounded by this pack’s happiness the more he feels like shit. Envy, doubts, fear of rejection all creep in on him. He tries to act confident and unperturbed as Liam sits him on a couch in one of the living areas next to a girl, beta, if Louis’ nose guesses right, who’s reading a heavy looking book. It’s so thick it could be a dictionary for all Louis knows. 

“So, you can wait here, Harry is probably in his study” Liam points to a nearby door. “I’ll check in with him and see what we can do. He’ll probably want to see you, so don’t stray too far.” Liam tells him. Louis nods, puts his bag on the floor, between his legs and tries to act as if he belongs. He probably looks as uncomfortable as he feels though. 

Liam had been in there for a while and the more time passes, the more Louis can hear shouts through the adjacent door. To his dismay, he can even make out some of the words their saying, mostly what the pack Alpha is saying since he shouts the loudest.

“No, Liam! How many times do I have to… before you finally… NO WAY … a rogue in _ our _pack?… cannot trust him … don’t care to know him … have enough members to worry about.”

He hears more indistinct shouts before he hears pretty clearly: “His _ own _ pack didn’t want him!” 

Louis feels like someone squeezed his heart in their hands and isn’t letting it go. He guesses Harry is not going to want to meet with him after all. He still sits there, on the edge of the couch, his precious bag between his feet and everyone in the room looking at him, some with pity, some with disdain, some with curiosity. Even the dictionary-reading beta looks at him with empathy in her eyes. He wills his head to stay up high and his posture to stay confident. He will not flee the room. He will not let that stupid lump in his throat get the better of him. He will stay here until Liam returns. He will take the rejection in stride and move on. Like he’s been doing all his life. 

Even though he repeats this like a mantra, Louis can’t dislodge that lump and can’t ignore the sting in his chest. He’s been wandering for years from frontier to another, never settling and he doesn’t think he can continue like this forever. He knows he will break eventually. An omega is simply not made to take all this rejection without any kind of comfort or support, but what other choices does he have?

After more shouting and pleads from Liam, the latter finally returns to the living room, visibly deflated. Louis stands up and tries to smile, although it doesn’t reach his eyes. He saves Liam the task of announcing what he already knows.

“How long before I have to go then?” Louis swallows. He’s aware of the hurt that’s showing through his eyes, but he can’t help it. He’s fearful of the answer. 

“He’s locked me into Alpha command. I’m so sorry, Louis.” Liam avoids the question, which only makes Louis worry even more.

“How long Liam?” He presses,

“You have two weeks. One of our nurses will take care of your leg and then you have to go.” He says it with such desperation that Louis almost doesn’t hear him correctly. 

“Two weeks? That’s great Liam! Thanks!” Louis feels way better now. He hadn’t expected Harry to welcome him into his pack with open arms anyway. But two weeks _ and _ the right to see a nurse would be more than enough for him to get back on his feet quite literally and get some supplies before continuing his journey. 

Liam is completely surprised by Louis’ sudden excitement. He’s amazed, again by how strong the omega is, taking rejection like it’s no big deal when all the omegas he knows would have been completely devastated. Hell, all the werewolves he knows, no matter the gender. 

“I-hum. It is?” Liam says, hesitant.

“Yeah! I thought you would be escorting me to the next border today! At least I can get my leg checked at before going, it’s perfect.”

And Louis  _ is _ very glad of this outcome. He’ll have time to heal while having a shelter and food for free. He might even be able to read a book on that bench he saw outside. He’ll have to ask that beta for the dictionary she was reading, he thinks.

Liam schools his expression for Louis’ sake, but his heart aches at the thought that Louis is so used to rejection that letting him stay for two weeks is like offering him the stars. Liam feels like crap turning him away. 

He would have two weeks to make Harry see reason then. He couldn’t let the omega continue to be rejected over and over again. Besides, he only has to get the two of them to meet and Harry will agree with Liam in a heartbeat. The more he gets to know Louis, the more he thinks the two of them would actually get along well. He just has to figure out a way for them to meet during Louis’ short stay.


	3. It is what it is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the great feedback and kudos!  
Updates should be every Monday evening (EST) and bonus days if I'm prolific enough,
> 
> Thanks for reading -Xx

Louis thinks he couldn’t be in a better situation even if he dreamt of it. Liam had lead him to the infirmary right after the talk with Harry and the nurses were currently fretting over him. A bit too much for his liking, but, at least, he knows they’ll get his leg fixed and he can go back to running like the wolf he is in no time. He’s thinking of everything he’ll have the time to do in two weeks and already fantasizing about how he can steal countless amounts of supplies while he’s at headquarters. Everybody’s so nice to him he almost considers straight up asking for food and other necessities, but he doesn’t think he wants to risk getting a no. Then people would be more suspicious of him and stealing would be harder. 

The doctor, clearly an alpha, her posture and her scent give her away instantly, enters the room right when one of the nurses is taking Louis’ vitals. Louis believes it’s a bit overkill for a wounded leg, but he isn’t going to complain. 

“Hi Louis, my name is Olivia, i’m going to take care of you today. How are you feeling?” 

Louis feels like everybody here talks to him as they would a child who fell and broke his leg. It’s a little infuriating since he’s actually a grown man who has an infected cut. He really hates when people underestimate him or baby him just because of his gender. He’s used to this however so he smiles to the doctor nonetheless, hoping to convey he’s really not in that much pain. Although his leg is, in fact, killing him.

“I’m great actually. Just a bad cut on my leg.” He shrugs to emphasize that it isn’t so bad and people in this pack should stop worrying. 

“All right, well let me have a look.” She says, approaching his bed, way too carefully for Louis’ liking. _ Do they think i’m some kind of wild wounded animal? For fuck’s sake i’m an omega not a baby deer, _he thinks. Louis gets his leg out of the covers and pulls his worn out pants out of the way for her to have a look. He winces a bit when he has to peel his pants off of the dried up blood on the cut and the subtle whine he lets out doesn’t go unnoticed by the doctor, to Louis’ dismay. 

“Mmm, it’s pretty deep. If you came in earlier, you even would have needed stitches. I’m afraid you’re going to have a scar.” Olivia frowns a bit at that. Wolves normally heal extremely fast. It takes a lot for them to need human treatments like stitches. Although Louis’ cut is deep, an omega with proper care would have healed completely in a couple hours max probably less. The fact that Louis didn’t heal at all screams abuse and neglect to Olivia. If Louis were part of the pack, she would be filing a report and asking for an investigation. But Louis isn’t pack and she doesn’t voice her concerns not wanting to alarm the boy. 

“Scars don’t bother me, it won’t be the first one.” Louis tries to reassure her, misunderstanding the frown on her face. 

She smiles tightly, trying to ignore how he’s just admitted to having other scars and puts on gloves to inspect the wound further.

She feels around the laceration and Louis bites his tongue, willing himself to remain stoic and to avoid giving the doctor a reason to baby him even more. 

“Yeah... as I thought, it’s infected. It’s slightly swollen and red.” Olivia says, more to herself. She looks up to Louis with warm eyes. “Don’t worry though, I have a really good antibiotic ointment made especially for omega wolves. With a bit of rest you should be fine in a couple of days.” 

Louis rolls his eyes at her tone. He’s never doubted his recovery. He’s not completely helpless, it _ is _ just a cut. “I’m not worried.” he deadpans.

Olivia refrains a laugh and shakes her head at the omega’s reaction. She has a lot of experience treating omegas and, when they’re in pain, they’re habitually more worried and need more comfort. Louis though doesn’t seem to fit that trait. Of course, she’s also met a lot of omegas with an attitude, but they’re normally hiding their worry with sassy comments and they’ve normally not spent a whole lot of time being neglected in the wilderness. Olivia’s intrigued by Louis’ resilience, but can’t help the concern that’s growing in her alpha’s mind for him. Neglect can be extremely harmful to an omega’s health. The fact that Louis doesn’t heal as fast as he’s supposed to could be the tip of the iceberg. 

“Can I ask you how long you’ve been on your own Louis?” She tries to seem detached, focusing on fixing the boy’s leg, but she knows she’s doing a poor job of it.

“Humm…like eight years almost... or no nine! Yeah nine.” The alpha contains the gasp she almost let slip and schools her expression to remain calm. She’s never heard of an omega living alone for that long. The damage to his health could be enormous. She tries not to show the panic that’s settled in her chest and continues to put ointment on his wound as calmly as possible.

“So, during that time, you’ve never had an alpha by your side?”

Louis seems almost proud when he answers, “Nope. Been on my own since I was fourteen.” 

Olivia has to restrain her wolf not to cuddle Louis close. She also has to restrain the doctor in her from asking every follow up question she can think of on his condition. The last thing she wants is to overwhelm him or worry him. 

She’s just putting the bandage on when the door opens slowly. Both Louis and Olivia look up to see Liam carefully peaking through the crack he’s made in the door.

“Hi Olivia, can I come in?”He asks, softly.

“Of course Liam, come in, I was just finishing up here.”

Louis has to stop himself from rolling his eyes at their bewildering kindness. It’s nauseating.

Liam turns his attention to Louis while walking further into the room.

“Hey Louis, how are you feeling?” Liam says almost exactly the same way Olivia had asked moments ago and Louis can’t help put sigh and roll his eyes at that, frustrated. 

“I’m not a fucking baby deer Liam! I’m fine!” He regrets his outburst right as the words leave his mouth. He tenses, knowing he shouldn’t talk to an alpha like that and if he pushes his luck, he’ll end up at the next border before his two weeks. But he’s never been a very good omega anyway and Olivia snorts, clearly amused by Louis’ defiance. Liam, after his initial surprise, joins Olivia and laughs breathily. So Louis relaxes. He might not get kicked out of the pack’s territory just yet. He also realizes the Styles pack is the nicest he's visited for a long while. He doesn’t know what to make of that.

“Sorry. I’m fine, thanks for asking.” He tries again, for good measure.

“It’s fine Louis, don’t worry about it. I was just coming in to see how you were. You had me a bit worried is all. But I see you’re in good hands.” Liam smiles.

“He is.” Olivia adds, smiling to Louis in the same way. 

Louis looks at them both warily. 

“Yeah...” He says while narrowing his eyes. He still can’t understand Liam’s angle. _ Everybody’s way too kind in this pack, _ he thinks. There must be something underneath that he’s not seeing. He supposes he’ll just have to watch his back and not let his guard down.

Olivia and Liam share a brief look of concern when they see Louis gaging them distrustingly.

“So you’re all patched up Louis. It would be better if you could rest for a couple of days, don’t put pressure on it too much and I would like, only if you want that is, to do a general check up, just to make sure you’re healthy since I reckon you don’t have the opportunity to see doctors very often.” 

Olivia sends a silent prayer to whoever’s listening that Louis will accept. Her wolf wouldn’t let her sleep knowing there is such a badly neglected omega in her vicinity and she wasn’t doing her best to help him out.

Louis still looks vigilant, but he nods and accepts to see her again for a general check up. In truth, he knows that his wolf surely suffers from the lack of alpha care he’s been dealing with for years. It wouldn’t hurt knowing the extent for the damage. The problem is, it isn’t an issue he can easily fix so he’s not sure what he’ll do with the information.

“Liam, can I speak to you privately?” Olivia asks.

“Of course.”

Louis isn’t stupid, he knows they’ll be talking about him, but he honestly couldn’t care less. He’s pretty happy with how everything turned out for once and he’s not about to overthink it or to get his hopes up. He won’t push his luck and take what he’s been given: two weeks vacation where he can allow himself not to be on high alert 24/7. He figures he should probably assess his next move for when time’s up so that he can really relax and energise afterwards. He takes his backpack from the floor next to him and extricates his worn out, folded map. He’d stole it from a particularly dumb easy to out run rogue alpha years ago. The map detailed the borders of every pack territory in the Western Lands. He takes out a pen from his bag and marks Scott’s territory with a red X. 

After a while of wandering through the continent, he decided it would be easier if he kept track of the areas he’s been in and if they were friendly or not. He’d implemented this method when he’d ran into the same pack Alpha twice and the second time was even worse than the first. He still had scars from that day. He started marking in red the territories where he’d be in big trouble if he returned to and in green the ones that were fairly friendly and wouldn’t kill him if he passed through them again. Or if he thought so at least.

Of course, since he’s a worthless, conning, defective omega, the map is mostly marked red and there’s less and less unexplored space to wander in anymore. Louis has no idea what he would do once he’s encountered every pack in the continent. He’ll have to get on an illegal boat going to the Eastern Lands, a long and harsh journey of 40 days, one he’d go through very reluctantly and as a last resort. Being a rogue omega, he’d be vulnerable, stuck on the same small living space as other rogue alphas. Just thinking about it, looking at his red marked map on the bed, Louis shudders. He’d have to think of another way to get across.

\---

“Oh and Niall? Did you have time to look at the new defensive layout yet?” The omega turns back, hand on the doorknob, about to leave the Alpha’s study.

“Oh, yeah, I did! Really thorough job from Z. I think he’s right about our northern border.”

“Good. Can you go ahead with the new strategy please?”

“I’ll assemble the team and get on it right away.”

“Perfect. Keep me updated. Oh, and thank you!”

“Of course.” 

As soon as Niall is out the door, Harry drops down on his chair. Allowing himself to feel the exhaustion he’s hidden all day. Truth is, he’s been feeling like absolute crap today and it scares him a little. He habitually has more energy than anybody else, always pushing others to their limits. It’s rarely the other way around. Ever since Liam has left his office earlier today, he’s felt unfocused and restless, Anxious even. He sighs and gets up. He decides he needs a walk, taking the time to talk to the wolves from his pack always has a way of energising him. 

And so he does just that, he passes through the rooms in the main house, stopping to check on everyone and play with pups along the way. Once outside he lets his body lead him, not thinking about it, he goes through the gardens, through an intense game of footie which he joins for a little while, he chats with one of the elders sat on a bench and congratulates a newly mated couple. Before he knows it, he’s spent almost two hours just walking through headquarters and interacting with his pack. It does cheer him up a bit, but that ball of anxiety in his stomach never leaves. 

His amble eventually leads him to the infirmary situated just next to the gardens, less than a mile from the main house. He goes in without thinking about it. 

He starts thinking about it once he hears Liam’s voice reverberating on the corridor walls and then he remembers. It seems like he’s going straight to the rogue Omega Liam had boldly tried to convince him to accept as pack. It was a crazy demand that Harry couldn’t possibly accept. Never, in history of the Styles’ pack had they accepted a rogue wolf. Once a wolf has been rejected from its pack, it can never be trusted again. Or so that’s what Harry has been taught. But again, as Liam had pointed out, it _ is _ incredibly intriguing as to what would push a pack to banish an _ omega _. Harry has never heard of such a thing. Omegas, not only are more vulnerable if left alone without a pack to protect them, but they’re usually very peaceful, non-violent creatures. They rarely harm any other living breathing thing. So what could this omega in particular have done to get banished? If he was honest with himself, Harry did want to meet him only to get some answers. 

“He needs an alpha, actually he needs a pack. I haven’t checked his health thoroughly yet, but think about it. He probably hasn’t experienced simple things such as alpha/omega embrace for eight years.” 

Harry stops walking and leans on the corner wall, hidden. He recognizes the voice and the scent as Olivia’s, he also distinguishes Liam’s scent. Despite himself, he feels for the omega and hearing the doctor’s worries about him makes his anxiety even worse and what she says next doesn’t help.

“He probably hasn’t been in omega space for years too! Maybe hasn’t even purred once since he’s been banished! I mean, most alphas believe purring is just a cute thing omegas do when they’re content, but it’s more than that Liam, it’s a sign they’re recuperating. I mean imagine Niall in the wild for eight years! No alpha contact! Nothing!” Harry’s impressed at how she’s strangely managing to whisper and yell at the same time.

Harry hears Liam answer,

“Fuck, I can’t even imagine my sweet Niall alone like that. It’s terrible. Poor omega. We should go to Harry again, Oliv’, we need to change his mind.”

“I agree, we can’t let him on his own again.”

Harry sighs and leans his head on the wall as he hears both of them walk away. His guilt has never been so bad, his anxiety takes over his whole body. His wolf is internally screaming at him that he’s a bad alpha and didn’t take proper care of the omega. It’s complete nonsense to feel that way about an omega he’s never even _ seen _ . And a _ rogue _ at that. He tries to convince himself that as Alpha, he has to protect his pack first and that’s exactly what he did, but his wolf will have none of that. He’s always taught his pack to treat others with kindness. He’d be a hypocrite not to give Louis his chance.

That’s why, once his feet have led him in front of the omega’s room, he gives in and simply knocks.

“Come in!” the voice is so direct and fearless, he thinks someone else is in the room with the omega. _ Probably a nurse _, he thinks. He’s surprised to see the omega sitting in bed alone, hunched over and writing something down on what looks like a map. 

“Hey Liam, do you think you could get me a map of the Eastern Lands? Mine’s not very detailed.” The omega looks up and widens his eyes, realizing he wasn’t speaking to Liam.

Instantly, their eyes meet and Harry isn’t ready for how his wolf reacts. An uncontrollable shiver runs through his spine and Harry feels his anxiety exude from his body completely. The slightly sweet scent of the omega envelops him with warmth, something he’s never experienced before and he can see Louis responding the same way. His lips are slightly parted on an unspoken “oh” and they both can’t seem to tear their eyes away from each other. 

Until Louis awkwardly coughs and says, “I-hum-Sorry. I thought you were Liam.”

“I’m Harry. I’m the Alpha of the Styles pack.”

“Oh, well. Nice to meet you ‘Harry, Alpha of the Styles pack’ I’m Louis omega of no packs.” Louis states, unreadable.


	4. Fruitcake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Kitten saviours, hope you're having a great start of your week!  
Thanks for the love on the last chapter -Xx

Louis hopes Harry doesn’t realize he’s panicking. The rise and fall of his chest created by his unnaturally fast beating heart is sure to give him away. Being drawn to an alpha this way, this urge to please and submit is new and confounding. And it’s all the more bewildering when it’s an alpha he doesn’t even know. Never has he, whatever the consequences it resulted in, bent to an alpha’s will just to please. Even going as far as to purposefully _ displease _ alphas just for the sake of it. Hell, that’s the main reason Scott’s pack ended up chasing him away. 

Still, it’s hard to behave in an omega manner when alpha commands have no effect on you whatsoever and everyone looks at you like you’re a defective freak. Despising omegas who submit so easily and avoiding any obedient actions is the only way to survive without a supportive pack. Also, it’s fun to poke an alpha’s nerves until they snap. Unfortunately, it’s also a good way to perpetuate rejection. Now looking into Harry’s green eyes, all those precious traces of will power evaporate and all Louis’ wolf wants to do is satisfy the Alpha in any way possible. As per usual with incomprehensible feelings, Louis shoves those suckers down. _ If you push your feelings aside they can’t hurt you, right? _

Under no circumstances at all is he planning to change his attitude towards this alpha. He’ll stay as defiant as he’s always been or die trying.

Standing at the foot of Louis’ bed, Harry is curiously observing the marked up and worn out Western Land map Louis had discarded to the side in order to study the Eastern Land one, searching for a way to cross on his own. 

Louis watches Harry warily while he snoops. Normally he would have taken the map away from prying eyes immediately, but his wolf wants to trust Harry which, again, is completely unprecedented and goes against what he’s just promised himself to do two seconds ago. Just as the regret of letting him have a look sets in and he’s about to grab the map he’s doodled on, Harry reaches for it and takes it.

“What’s this?”

Louis looks at the alpha like he's dumb. 

“A map.” the shrewd answer escapes him as he makes a move to get it back, but Harry’s faster and pulls away, smiling and sensing he’s hit a nerve, but also extremely intrigued. Louis’ clearly unimpressed by his leadership title. Harry rarely sees that side of omegas the first time they meet, even those who are a bit sassier. It took years before Niall was comfortable enough to banter with him.

“Yeah I figured it’s a map.”

“Smart.”

Harry’s grin grows.

“Why did you write ‘idiots’ next to Scott’s territory?”

Harry’s crooked smile shows off a perfect dimple. It only contributes to Louis’ growing frustration. He’s having a straight up internal discord and Harry’s not even been in the room for five minutes.

“‘cause they’re idiots.”

Harry snorts at the omega’s boldness and also, even if he would never admit this outloud, he kind of agrees with the statement. To Louis’ consternation he keeps on examining the colourful adjectives Louis has written next to a lot of other pack’s names and Harry laughs at some of them, some other packs Harry didn’t even know existed. He wonders if Louis’ really met all of them.

“Do you write adjectives next to every pack you meet?”

“Yes.”

“Why ‘fruitcake’ next to the Greys?”

Louis bites on a smile, remembering how the nickname came to be.

“Why do you ask obvious questions ‘Harry Alpha of the Styles pack’?”

“You can call me Harry.”

“How informal.”

“What would our adjective be?”

“Too soon to tell.”

Harry is looking straight into Louis’ eyes and the other can’t look away. They’re at a stand still, Louis gaging Harry and harry openly gazing at the omega curiously. 

“I’ll need to get that back now.” 

Arm extended towards Harry, open palmed, waiting for him to give back the map, Louis forces a tight smile, trying to hide the fact that he’s completely unnerved by the inhabitual scrutiny. Unnerved partly because he’s trying to tell his giddy omega to calm down and also because he doesn’t want the Alpha to see how pathetic he is having been rejected not only by his own pack, but by every pack he’s met since. 

Harry is perfectly unbothered and ignores his outstretched hand.

“What are the Xs for? Why the green and red?”

“Simple colour coding Harold.” The nickname just slips and Harry laughs, amused. Louis, in a swift movement, goes from sitting to kneeling on the bed and quickly attempts to reclaim the precious paper. He manages to brush his fingers on it, but Harry is faster. 

_ For fuck’s sake _ , Louis thinks, _ the one time an alpha is faster than me. _ Harry is smirking, seemingly enjoying Louis’ futile struggle to retrieve his property. It only enrages the omega further which only amuses the alpha more. It’s a vicious cycle Louis would very much like to get out of. 

“I get that, but what does the colour coding _ mean _?”

Louis sits back and crosses his arms over his chest, defeated. He sighs. “You really aren’t going to let this go are you?” 

Harry simply shakes his head with this stupid smirk not leaving his face. Louis rolls his eyes. _ Whatever. He’ll find out I’m a crappy omega soon enough anyway, _ he concludes.

“Fine.” Louis averts Harry’s eyes focusing on the white sheets instead. He speaks as fast as he wants this moment to be over with. “Red means ‘don’t go back’ and green means ‘you probably won’t get killed if you really have to go back’. Although, the X means it’s preferable to move on.”

Harry’s smile disappears and Louis’ gaze is tearing a hole in the sheets. The map Harry’s looking at is mostly covered in red Xs. Only a few territories are left unmarked. The Alpha swallows trying to dislodge the sudden emotions taking him. He regrets toying with the omega as he just did. Understanding that the banter was only Louis’ way of not showing his vulnerability. The guilt he felt earlier is back in full force. 

He decides then that, even if Louis can’t become pack like Liam had suggested, the omega will not be compelled to put an X on the Styles territory. 

He puts the map back on the bed, next to the one Louis was looking at prior to Harry’s entrance. Harry suddenly understands why Louis was asking for the Eastern Land map when he mistook the Alpha for Liam and it only makes his heart hurt a little more for Louis. He tries to remember how long Olivia had said Louis was left alone. 

“Can I ask you how long you’ve been on your own Louis?” Harry asks, softer this time.

“Ask Dr. Olivia.” Harry feels like he’s been slapped in the face. He can almost see the walls Louis’ built around himself they’re so evident. Louis is still looking away from Harry, arms crossed. 

Louis knows he probably looks like a petulant child, but he does need to protect himself somehow. He’s attracted to Harry and he’s never felt that way for another wolf before. He’s scared of even looking at him longer than is necessary or of even talking to him. In fact, he prefers not to interact with him at all any more than he has to. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get kicked out before the two weeks Harry’s been kind enough to give him so he can’t let himself get attached. Louis can take rejection, but he’s used to taking rejection from dickheads like Scott’s pack not from someone he actually likes. He already isn’t sure he’ll come back from his stay here intact, knowing heaven exists and having to leave it, that’s just abhorrent.

Harry understands he pushed the omega to reveal more than he was willing to share. Seeing him look so small when he looked taller than life seconds ago physically hurts. he wishes he could cuddle him close, comfort him. All his wolf wants to do now is ease his own guilt by holding the omega in a healing embrace. But he can’t do that. _ Not now _ . _ Probably not ever _. Besides, if he heard Olivia correctly, Louis hasn’t experienced alpha/omega embrace for years, Harry has no idea how the boy would react. He’d risk overwhelming him.

“I’m sorry I invaded your privacy Lou, it wasn’t my place.”

Louis senses his wolf quiver at the nickname and the heartfelt apology. Damn it, _ why is everybody here so nice! _He does his best to stay as stoic as possible. 

“Anyway, I’ll let you rest. You’re welcome to explore headquarters as much as you’d like once you feel up for it.” The _ don’t venture into the city, I don’t trust you yet _ is left unsaid. 

“Thanks.” Louis says, quietly. Harry leaves and Louis’ suddenly exhausted. 

\---

Harry can’t sleep and it’s almost morning. 

He’s tossed and turned haunted by Louis’ sad eyes. His wolf wants to be closer to him, only to reassure himself that he’s okay. It makes him anxious to be so far away. 

If Harry had listened to his impulses the day before, he would have told Louis he could stay for as long as he wanted, hell, he would have accepted him as pack on the spot. But as pack Alpha, he can’t set this kind of precedent lightly. He needs to protect the pack first and Louis _ has _been rejected from his own. It would be reckless not to, at least, investigate that further before letting him stay here. But than, Louis’ heartbroken figure resurfaces in his mind and he’s stuck in an endless loop of anxiety and doubt and he just wants to make sure the omega’s okay, but he can’t just go look at him sleep, that would be creepy and okay. Harry gets up. He needs to talk to Niall. 

\---

_ His heart isn’t in his chest anymore. That’s the only possible explanation. It’s been teared apart and beaten on the ground, but it’s still beating. How barbarous? Couldn’t they just kill him already? Ribcage void of anything meaningful, how is he alive still? “worthless...defective”. Alpha repeats those words so much, Louis thinks he’d benefit from a class on the use of synonyms. He laughs. Why is he laughing? How can he laugh when he hurts so bad? Abnormal. That’s a good synonym. His mother’s devastated stare is enough to renew the pang in his heart full force. Is he laughing or crying? He shuts his eyes closed firmly. Everyone’s gone. His mother’s face, the last memory of his pack. _

The omega catches his pending and shameful whine just in time to swallow it right back. He groans instead, hopping off the bed forgetting about his bad leg. He sits right back. This whole day of resting in bed, being fed and looked after by nurses should have been a delight, it should have felt like a vacation, but it hadn’t. His day was more like hunching over maps trying to figure out where to go once he leaves the Styles’ pack then hiding them from Olivia and the nurses. It was, quite frankly, exhausting. 

What’s worse is that he thought he’d have figured it out by now, but all that’s been figured out is how much trouble he’s in. Every pack surrounding the Styles Territory is now marked red. Even if he finds a way to cross a territory undetected, he’s got a handful of territories left to go through before he gets to an unmarked one. Once he gets kicked out of that one, he’ll have to find a way to cross to the Eastern Lands which is practically impossible when you’re a rogue and completely suicidal if you’re a rogue omega. Louis’ royally fucked.

\---

“Harry? That you? What time is it?” Zayn’s raspy voice cuts through the silent darkness of the room. Liam stirs at the sound. Harry approaches the three tangled up man on the bed.

“Go back to sleep Z, I just want to speak to Niall.” 

“Niall’s asleep mate, can’t it wait ‘til mornin’?” 

_ Great Liam’s awake too. _

“It really can’t I need he’s advise.”

“Well _ he _ needs sleep.”

“_ Liam _”, the Alpha command tainting his words illicit a synchronised growl from the two protective alphas. Niall whines in his sleep.

Harry sighs and starts over, softer, “I know it’s early, but I really need to pick Niall’s brain. I know he’s your omega, but he’s my strategist too and a damn good one at that. You know as well as I do, he’d be pissed if you turned me away.” 

Defeated, Zayn rolls his eyes and turns over to Niall’s sleeping figure.

“Hey Ni, love, wake up.”

Niall lets out a snore and shows no signs of consciousness whatsoever. Harry contains a groan.

The two alphas take a good five minutes to gently coax the blond out of sleep. It takes every ounce of Harry’s restrain not to just give him a good shake and be done with it. 

Waking Niall from a deep sleep has never been the best idea, grumpiness being absolutely unavoidable.

“Urgh, I swear if you woke me up for round two you’ll be sleeping on the couch tomorrow.” Liam coughs uncomfortably.

“No Niall, Harry needs to speak with you.”

“Huh?” That has Niall waking up fully, sitting upwards instantly. 

“Yeah, could I?” 

NIall sighs, he gives a quick peck to both his alphas and stands up, leading the way out of the room while rubbing the last bits of sleep out of his eyes.

\---

“So, what’s going on? You haven’t slept.” 

It’s not a question. Niall doesn’t even need to call upon his legendary deduction skills to see how tired and jittery Harry looks. 

“I need to figure out what to do with Louis.”

Niall nods, unsurprised.

“You gave him two weeks to get himself together before leaving. You don’t feel comfortable with that decision anymore?” Niall says everything without judgement and always stays level-headed regardless of the dilemma. That’s the main reason he’s the one Harry goes to when any kind of leadership crisis surfaces. 

“I-”

“Is it ‘cause he’s cute?” Niall waggles his eyebrows suggestively. 

Scratch that. Niall’s a childish twit. 

He does make Harry laugh though, which is a relief to this ball of anxiety he’s been dragging along since Louis’ arrival. 

“He _ is _ cute. But no, that’s not it.”

“What is it then?”

“Well, for starters, he’s an omega. I’m not sure I’m comfortable sending him back to fend for himself. It seems harsh.”

“Liam told you he was omega though, when you decided to send him away in the first place. ”

“I know, it’s just. Now that I’ve met him. I guess, I just figured, despite his gender, his pack decided to banish him so he must have done something terrible to deserve that.”

“But when you met him, he didn’t fit that profile.” Again, not a question, but Harry nods anyway.

“Here’s what I think we should do.” Niall has that face, that _ game on _ face that Harry loves so much. It has him settling more comfortably on the couch, turning his body to face his friend.

“We should put a tail on him. Have him followed and observed during his stay. Like a probation period where we test his ability to interact with and adapt to our pack. Then, we decide what to do with the information collected. Either we send him away, we let him stay longer as a guest or we make him pack.”

Harry nods, it makes sense. But would he be risking the pack’s safety even letting a rogue stay for that long? Niall lets him ponder in silence which Harry’s grateful for.

“What do I tell him?”

“Nothing. It’ll be easier to judge his character if he thinks he’s leaving and if he doesn’t know we’re watching him.”

“I don’t know about that. It seems cruel to lie to him.”

“Yeah, I get that, but, if he knows he’s being watched...”

“I know, I know. You’re right.”

“As usual.” 

Harry snorts and shoves Niall gently. 

“Could you send Zayn to my study first thing in the morning?”

“Yeah. Good call. Zayn is subtle _ and _ impartial.”

“You’re biased.” Niall smiles, not bothering to deny the accusation.

“But yeah, you’re right.”

“As us-”

“_ Don’t. _”

As Harry accompanies Niall back to his room, the latter turns around, facing him,

“How hard was it to get those two idiots to wake me up?”

Harry shakes his head, grinning.

“They really are idiots aren’t they?”

“Yeah, well. They’re _ my _ two idiots.” Niall shrugs and goes back into his room.


	5. Poor little alpha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update! Woohoo! We celebrate the numerous kittens that have been saved thanks to you :D
> 
> Also this chapter's very short, but I'm planning a much bigger one on schedule Monday :)  
Question: do you prefer short chapters more often or longer ones once a week?
> 
> -Xx

Louis’ standing. No, Louis is  _ walking _ . Louis is walking and it doesn’t hurt! Or, well, it hurts, but it’s ignorable which is much better than the day prior.

When Olivia enters the infirmary room, the omega’s pacing with a slight limp, testing out his new found mobility. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, not thinking the remedy would have acted so fast. It takes a moment for Louis to acknowledge her presence, not stopping his exercise when he does.

“Morning Oliv’! Look! My leg’s totally healed! It’s a miracle!”, the energy flowing out of the omega clashes with the dark circles under his eyes. Olivia smiles in the hopes of hiding the growing pit of worry in her stomach. 

“I can see that. Could I still check on it to make sure?”

Panting, Louis nods and sits on the bed, propping his leg up. He takes the glass of water from his nightstand to satisfy his thirst while Olivia undoes the bandages, frowning. Olivia’s surprised the omega can put any weight on it.

“Well it  _ is _ a bit better than yesterday, but it’s not really healed yet. Doesn’t it hurt still?” 

Louis shrugs, still gulping down his water. It stings, sure, but he’s had to deal with a lot worse in the past.

“I think I’m going to put a little more ointment on it, just to make sure the infection is totally gone.”

Louis nods distractedly while eyeing Olivia as she retrieves the creamy substance from the closed cabinet.  _ An antibacterial ointment is a pretty damn pragmatic thing to own. _ God knows how badly he would have needed that creamy miracle in the past. 

“Okay all done.” Olivia gets up to put the precious remedy back in the cabinet. “Just be careful and don’t push yourself too much.” After locking the small door, she shoves the key in the pocket of her smock. Louis smiles.

“Don’t worry about me Oliv’. You’ve done a great job. I’m totally fine, look.”

He proceeds to put all his weight on his bad leg and braces himself to jump. “Louis, don’t!” The doctor, alarmed by the dangerous display, rushes to his side just as Louis’ leg hits the floor, he whimpers and tries to regain his balance as he leans heavily on Olivia. “Argh”  _ Fuck that did hurt a lot. _

“Louis, why would you do that?”

“M’Stupid.” He manages between gritted teeth, holding his breath and waiting for the pain to subside. It isn’t a complete lie. He lets Olivia’s shoulder go and sits on the bed, swiftly hiding the newly acquired piece of silver in the rumpled sheets.

Olivia’s eyes are enough to scold him and Louis doesn’t wait for her to do so verbally. He raises his arms in defeat.

“I’m sorry, i’m sorry. I know. Taking it easy from now on.” 

The alpha shakes her head in disbelief. She’s never met an omega so daring. 

“Also, try to get some sleep. Have you slept at all last night?”

Louis shrugs in lieu of a response.  _ Why would she care? This place is weird.  _ The omega coughs awkwardly under the scrutinizing gaze.

“I think I hear a patient screaming in another room, you should probably take care of that.”

Olivia sighs and shakes her head, choosing not to push him further.

“Sure, I’ll do that. Have a good day Louis. Oh and take a nap.” 

As soon as she closes the door Louis forces himself to lie down on the bed and count to a hundred, making sure she isn’t coming back. He then gets up to the cabinet and opens it using the key he effortlessly retrieved from Olivia’s pocket. Amidst numerous pills and creams, there lies the desired item. The problem is, it’s the only one of its kind there.  _ Taking the whole jar would be too obvious, I need an empty container _ . 

“container...container”, he mumbles while looking around the room. Not finding anything useful he goes back to the cabinet. He decides to pour one of the bottle of painkillers into a smaller, concealed compartment of his own bag,  _ painkillers are always practical anyway. _ He proceeds to transfer as much of the ointment as he can in the now empty bottle without it being too conspicuous. Ointment back into place and cabinet locked, he tosses the key on the floor where Olivia had rushed to help him earlier. Hopefully, she’ll think she dropped it. He contemplates keeping the key to further his stash later, but that would be a greater risk and he supposes he’ll have plenty of opportunities to steal medical supplies during his stay. Besides the lock on the cabinet doesn’t look too hard to pick. He just has to be careful if he doesn’t want to get kicked out early.

Happy to be on his feet again, albeit the subtle limp, Louis decides to explore headquarters properly. Backpack tightly fitted on his shoulders, he feels like a kid in a candy store. He has thirteen days to fill his bag with essentials he’d desperately need to cross to the Eastern Lands and he probably doesn’t even have to venture out of headquarters to do so, the place is so huge. While strolling outside, everyone politely greeting him, he vaguely questions if they’d give him everything he needs would he just ask. He quickly dismisses the idea, unsure of the pack’s honesty, thinking there might be an angle he hasn’t seen yet in this bizarre ambient kindness. 

He decides to take his time and mostly watch his back while surveying the perimeters. It would be cautious not to steal anything else for now. Unless, you know, an opportunity comes that’s too good to pass. He’s only a werewolf after all. 

\---

As he navigates through the area, he realizes the main house and the hospital are at the center of what looks like a small city buzzing with people either in human form or in wolf form just going about their day. Stores, service centers, houses, Louis’ in so much aw that he can’t even think of stealing anything yet. He’s starting to think the Styles headquarters is the biggest in existence, not just the biggest Louis’ ever seen. 

The more he walks, though, the more he’s aware of a lingering scent. A scent that seems to chase him everywhere he’s going. One of tobacco mixed with pine and... was it cinnamon maybe? A spice of some sort. It’s hard to discern from the numerous smells coming out of the bustling environment, but thanks to harsh circumstances, Louis’ nose has gotten more accurate than average over the years and he’s fairly certain at this point that an alpha is following him. It would make sense that they decided to put a tail on him. Louis wouldn’t trust himself either.  _ Pretty fortunate I didn’t steal anything out in the open yet. _

The alpha isn’t following him from very close either. From what the omega can pick up from smell alone, he keeps a pretty good distance and seems rather adequate at his current job. Louis smirks.  _ This’ll be fun _ . 

Not too far, on his right, he spots a florist’s store.  _ Perfect _ . He waits until he’s right beside it, takes a sharp turn and enters, immediately locating a back door.  _ Lucky _ . The scent of tobacco still hasn’t entered.  _ Good. _ He knows his own scent is pretty floral, so as long as the Alpha’s sense of smell is average, all he has to do is dock behind the highest arrangements and other omegas that smell a bit like him until he resurfaces through the back door. Easy. 

Once he’s back outside, he takes a few sharp turns into smaller streets to make sure he’s lost the tail for good. It’s with a renewed pep in his step and a content smirk that he continues his more than pleasant walk through the gardens.  _ Poor little alpha, better luck next time _ . 


	6. Ridiculous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kitten saviours :)  
Sooo longer chapters it is! I will, however, only update once a week from now on to ensure that chapters are, in fact, a little longer.  
Thank you again for the support -Xx

Turns out the alpha following him is better than Louis originally thought. It doesn’t take more than five minutes before the omega senses the annoyance to be back. It would be too obvious to try and lose the fucker again. He figures he’ll just have to be careful if he decides to steal something today. For now, having a face to put on the problem would be pretty useful... 

Once he gets to a quiet corner of a park, he sits on a bench. Getting comfortable, elbows on the back of his seat, he waits. Eyes closed, he leans his head backwards hoping to convey he’s simply basking in the sun and relaxing, although all his senses are on high alert. An alpha is writing, the sound of his pen only slightly perceptible over the water fountain. The wind makes the leaves bristle while a bird flies from one perch to another. Two omegas walk passed his spot and finally, the faint breeze brings him a hint of tobacco, pine and, definitely, cinnamon. He waits until the scent immobilizes, a few meters away. Louis brings his hands over his face as if to rub the fatigue off of his traits while opening his eyes again. He takes the opportunity to turn towards the alpha. There, next to a fountain ( _ this place honestly) _ , sits a raven haired man, silently reading a small book, a peaceful expression to his face. Louis looks away as soon as he’s spotted him. It wouldn’t be as much fun if the man knew he’s not as subtle as he thinks. Happy about his current advantage, Louis eases off and surveys the peaceful area he’s stumbled upon. The flowers, the benches, the fountain, he feels like he’s stepped out of reality and into eden’s garden. It’s than that he spots a familiar face, sitting closeby, a book in her hands. He doesn’t miss the side glance the raven haired alpha gives him when he gets up to sit next to her.  _ Let’s give him something to watch _ .

\---

“So you met with him?”

“Yeah, at the hospital last night. I also heard you and Oliv’ talk in the corridor.”

“So you know what I’m about to ask. Again.”

“I know you want Louis to stay Liam, but things are more complex than that. I need to know why he was banished in the first place and make sure he doesn’t pose a threat to the pack.”

“If you met him, you know as well as I do, he doesn’t.”

“Liam -”

“No Harry, it’s fine. Do your little investigation if it makes you feel better, but If you did hear Oliv’, you know his health is bound to be affected by the fact he was alone for so long. Rejecting an abused omega is honestly heartless in my opinion.”

“I hear you Liam. Hell, I agree with you, I just. I have to think of the pack first.”

Liam sighs, knowing Harry won’t budge.

“So what did you think of him?” By the way Harry’s eyes widen slightly and how he opens and closes his mouth, unsure of what to say, Liam would say it went as expected.

“He’s cute isn’t he? I knew you two would get along.” Liam’s smerk unnerves Harry.

“I-well, yeah he’s not bad, but. Well… I’m pretty sure he hates me…so...” A peng in Harry’s guts reminds him of how closed off Louis had looked just before the Alpha had left the hospital room.

“Give him time. You  _ did _ mention his own pack didn’t want him.”

“Wait, you think Louis heard me say that?”

“The walls here aren’t that thick mate! He was sitting right here and you were shouting. Of course he heard that.” 

Face heating up in embarrassment, a familiar, uncomfortable ball of anxiety and guilt is forming at the bottom of his stomach.  _ Fuck, Louis must have been so hurt _ . Redemption is the only thing on his mind when he sets out to find him and apologize.

\---

“So it  _ isn’t  _ a dictionary.”

The beta laughs, “no it’s not, why would you think it is?”

“I don’t know, it’s pretty thick?”

“It is, inn’it?”

Louis is overjoyed that he came across Charlotte, the beta he’d seen reading outside of Harry’s study the other day. Without a moment of hesitation he’d introduced himself and asked about her book. Turns out it’s poetry from this guy Edward Allan poo or something, Louis wouldn’t know.  _ How great must it be to just pick up a book and read, not a care in the world? _ He plays up his charm, smiling big and laughing every chance he gets. It’s easy with someone like Charlotte who responds so enthusiastically. With a bit of luck his shadow will get bored and report back that Louis is an upstanding citizen who can be trusted and can be left alone for the remainder of his stay, leaving him all the opportunities to fill his bag with precious goods. Okay, maybe with a lot of luck.

“Hey Charlotte -”

“You can call me Lottie.” Louis’ omega is getting giddy at all the affection its been getting, he tries to repress it a bit, knowing he’ll have to go back to normal someday soon.

“Allright, Lottie than, don’t look for too long, but the guy reading close to the fountain with dark hair, do you know him?” 

“Who? Oh! Zayn. Yeah, almost everybody knows him, he’s the defense commander.”

“Defense commander huh? That sounds pretty important.”

Louis has no clue what a defense commander does.

“It is. He’s like Alpha Harry’s military advisor. Why?”

_ Oh fuck. No wonder the guy’s good at chasing him around.  _ He’ll have to get creative if he wants to trick him. Charlotte is looking in the alpha’s direction too often for Louis’ comfort, he decides on changing the subject.

“Nothing, just thought he looked cute. Do you read a lot? Looks like it.”

The beta smiles proudly, unperturbed by the sudden shift in topic.

“Yeah, I’ve almost gone through the whole poetry section of our library.”

“Library? You mean you have a library at headquarters?” 

She nods vigorously.

_ This place, I swear. _

“Could you show me?”

“Of course.”

Even in the presence of the beta, his stalker doesn’t ease up. Giving the guy’s profession, Louis didn’t really think he would. He’s not too bothered since he actually does want to see the library and Charlotte’s pretty good company. 

And so, that’s how he finds himself shamelessly gawking at the endless rows of books surrounding him. The library is degenerately massive. From the foyer where he stands, impossibly high ladders lead to the highest books. Impressive wooden stairs, engraved with gold molding lead up two floors above his head. People are milling about in silence, reading in different lounging areas, looking through the indefinite options on the shelves. Louis even notices some of them in their wolf form, relaxing next to readers. Everything looks so peaceful and majestic.

The omega’s tentative steps into the quiet space reverberate through the marble floor. Charlotte is observing him with a knowing grin.

“It’s amazing isn’t it?”

Louis can’t stop gazing at the space, trying to scrutinize every little detail and memorize them.

Even whispering feels too loud,

“How? No pack headquarters I’ve seen are like this. I mean- what-how?” 

Charlotte leads him to a nearby corner furnished with big vibrant poufs and smaller shelves where pups are reading small colorful books. They’re words are muffled by the lower ceiling here instead of echoing into the three floors like they did in the foyer. Once their both seated, removed from the quiet pups, Charlotte turns to face Louis,

“You want the long version or short one?”

“Long.” Curious to know more, there’s no hesitation in Louis’ response. 

Charlotte clears her throat and Louis shifts on his pouf, making himself more comfortable and turning his whole body towards the beta.

“The Styles headquarters were once like every other pack: a luxurious home for the Styles Alpha and their family exclusively, but Harry’ great-great-great-grandfather and his wife felt uncomfortable with the whole thing. They instead began to imagine a place where every wolf from their pack would feel at ease, where they’d come and go and, eventually, live there. They wanted them closer to protect them, care for them and create a healthy community, a tighter one.” 

“Weren’t headquarters more like villages a long time ago?” Louis could recall his mother’s melancholy when she talked about that piece of their history.

“Yes, but that was thousands of years ago, when our relationship with humans was way more conflictual than today. Since we started sharing the same spaces, living amongst each other, headquarters became the only places where solely werewolves were admitted, remains of an ancient contract between humans and werewolves to keep the peace. However as werewolves decided to cohabitate with humans, headquarters quickly became an exclusive club for werewolves in power.” Louis nods, feeling like that summed up his entire experience coming across different packs. 

“Harry’s ancestors wanted to change that.”

“So they made headquarters bigger?”

“They created a government.”

“What?” _ That was unexpected.  _

“They thought that the lack of kinship between the pack’s members ran deeper than just a living space. They wanted them to be more involved in the decision making. They thought the dictatorship of the Alpha role was archaïc and so they invited every werewolf of their territory to elect a council that would contribute to the pack’s internal affairs. Of course, the Alpha would have a right to veto most decisions if he saw fit, but, and that was the whole point, the council would have the right to call on an extraordinary assembly and organise a referendum to dismantle the Alpha’s fonction if they deemed it necessary.”

Louis gasps.

“I know. That was an upstanding decision if you ask me.”

Louis nods, eyes wide. He doesn’t know any pack Alpha who would jeopardise their place in power this way out of sheer principles.

“Anyway, once elected, it made sense that the council would stay at headquarters with their families. A couple years passed and, together, they started laying out a plan to build headquarters bigger in order to reconstruct a community around it and welcome any werewolf that would like to live there.”

“They must have had thousands of werewolves knocking at their door.”

“Not immediately. I mean, most werewolves had a life in the city or in the suburbs and they didn’t want to leave that behind. Some of them even opposed the idea, saying it would make them go backwards in regards to human/werewolves politics. But poverty brought a lot of misfortuned families, hopeful for better living conditions. And from there, they erected services like the hospital you’ve already seen. They passed the idea of grandor to the next generation who passed it to the next and so on until today. That’s how headquarters grew bigger and bigger.” 

“Wow.” Louis would have been the first to show up. This place was heaven. An accountable Alpha, gardens, parks, a huge main house, a library, a hospital for christ’s sake. And he’s sure he hasn’t seen all of it yet. He tries to ignore his clenching desire to stay forever and fails miserably. His chest constricts and he has a hard time getting sound out when he speaks next. 

“I’m really imp-”

Abruptly, a booming noise resonates through the whole library, having most pups surrounding them looking up curiously. Louis turns around to identify the source of the noise when he locks eyes with familiar greens. The omega at the front desk, visibly stunned by Harry’s turbulent entrance, scrambles to meet him.

“Did you need anything Alpha?”

“No thank you, I’ve found what I need.” 

She deflates when the Alpha doesn’t look at her twice before hurrying towards Louis.

Louis’ already constricted chest seems to tighten even more out of nervousness. When passing through a territory, avoiding Alphas like the plague is usually the better option, their encounter never ending so well. The second meeting was never a good sign either. The omega can’t help but think Olivia found out about the missing medicine and he’s going to get kicked out.

“Hey Louis. You’re a hard one to find.” 

“I’m really not.”

“Can I talk to you outside for a moment?”

“Maybe later, I was having a very interesting conversation with Charlotte here.”

Louis smiles cheekily. His heart is beating way too fast for it to be normal. His palms are sweating._ Christ,_ _what is happening to me?_

Harry’s smile freezes, visibly annoyed by Louis’ dismissiveness. He changes strategies and turns to the beta.

“Hi Charlotte, how are your parents?”

“Hi Alpha, they’re great, thanks for asking.” Charlotte’s smile could light up the whole library. Louis tries to find a way to stall, to avoid having the unpleasant rejection talk with Harry.

“Yeah, her parents are great, she was just about to tell me about it. So we’ll talk later yeah?”

Harry ignores him.

“Would you mind terribly if I stole Louis for a quick moment, it won’t take very long I promise.”

_ Shit, Harry’s a right charmer.  _ He’s showing off both of his dimples and it’s apparent Charlotte’s under his spell.

“Sure! It’s not a problem at all.”

“Thank you so much.”

Harry expectantly turns towards Louis. There’s nothing left for the latter to do than to stand up. It’d be impolite not to do so and people are starting to stare.  _ Well played Styles, well played _ .

\---

Louis’ dumb. He’s just so stupid for letting himself fantasize about this place.  _ Why was it so hard no to get attached? _ Harry’s looking at him like he doesn’t know how to start.  _ Christ, even the Alpha’s too kind to tell me to fuck off _ . The lump in his throat feels more like an inflated balloon. He’d like to forestall Harry and say he’ll leave first thing in the morning, getting this moment over quicker. But it’s impossible with this balloon blocking his airway.

“So. Hum- I wanted to speak with you because well-hum.” Harry clears his throat and Louis tries to focus on an ant making its way on the bench they’re sitting on.

“Yesterday when you heard me with Liam, I-hum.” Harry’s completely thrown off by Louis’ closed off demeanor. He’s refusal to look Harry in the eyes makes the alpha jittery and ads to his guilt. 

“Could you look at me please?” Louis tears his eyes away from the ant and bites the inside of his cheek willing himself not to break down.

“What I’m trying to say is, I’m deeply sorry Louis for what you heard me say yesterday.” The omega’s brows furrow, his head tilts to the side and he opens his mouth as if to say something only to close it again. 

“Huh?” Is all Louis can force out. He swallows trying to clear his throat. 

“I know you heard me say very judgemental things about rogues and it was insensitive, I’m sorry.”

Louis closes his eyes and opens them again, as if to make sure Harry isn’t a mirage. 

“So you aren’t kicking me out?”

“What? No! Why would you think that? Not at all. I mean, you can still stay for two weeks as discussed.” Harry’s heart clenches.

Louis sighs, relieved.

“Good. Allright. Well, yeah, no problem Harold, all’s forgiven and what not.”

Harry’s eyebrows furrow.

“That’s too easy, aren’t you mad at me?” Louis laughs. 

“Why are you worried about a rogue being mad at you? Honestly this place.” Louis shakes his head.

“What about it?” Harry’s smile is contained, heart still aching for the omega.  _ He thought I was kicking him out. _

“I don’t know, everybody’s just so… nice! It’s twice now that  _ you _ ’ve apologized to  _ me _ of all people.”

“Well, it’s twice that I’ve done wrong by you. And anyway, kindness is underrated.”

“Well, not here let me tell you. If anything, here, kindness is  _ overrated _ .”  _ How can Louis seem so lighthearted throughout all of this? _

“Good. There’s a balance to be restored.”

Louis smiles despite his best effort not to.

“Why is your face?” Harry’s tone is light, glad he made Louis smile like that, happy that he isn’t as closed off as before.

Louis laughs. “I found your adjective.” 

Harry’s eyebrows rise up to his hairline and his grin grows bigger, showing off his dimples.

“Did you?”

Louis just nods, smirking. Harry pokes him on his side.

“Tell me.”

The omega lets out a breathy laugh and shakes his head, “Ridiculous.”

Harry beams.

“I like it.”

“My point exactly.”


	7. Sixty-three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A smaller chapter than I would have hoped for, but let me tell you, this fic is going to be loooooonng! I have scenes written down that'll take me ages to get there :'D so buckle in and I hope you'll bear with me. 
> 
> Anyway, don't hesitate to tell me what you think, thank you for the support -Xx

When Harry suggested he move from the hospital room to a guest room in the main house, Louis imagined he would be placed into a less comfortable area in the basement. Years of experience free loading off of reluctant packs taught him not to expect the best treatment. But _ this _ must be the nicest place he’s ever been in. The heavy duvet and numerous pillows on the king sized bed make it hard not to throw himself on it dramatically as soon as he opens the door. Colourful paintings hung on the walls, windows decorated with greenery go as high as the ceiling, the hand carved wood everywhere makes the place feel cozy and elegant. In all honesty, Louis could stay in this room for the remainder of his stay and be totally content.

But hunger and a rumbling stomach are getting hard to ignore. He vaguely remembers pancake and eggs being brought to him at the hospital in the morning, but he’d gotten side tracked with stealing and exploring. A frustrating habit of his. It’s with food in mind that he sets off to find a kitchen. Or a gastronomic restaurant. The Styles headquarters is so over the top he wouldn’t even be surprised. Following the sound of a familiar voice and smell combined with the clinking of cutlery, he finds the kitchen pretty easily. He stops in the doorway. Liam’s there with a blond omega. There are other people milling about, but those two provide such a domestic warm hearted scene that Louis can’t help but stand there and watch. They’re cooking something, backs to Louis, working without a word, like a synchronized dance and giving themselves kisses here and there. They look soft and happy, a display of extremely foreign things to Louis. 

“Hey Louis! Come in! Are you hungry?”

Louis starts a bit, the two of them looked so enthralled with each other, it’s surprising they even noticed him. The blond looks curious, head tilted to the side slightly and eyes scrutinizing every movement Louis makes.

“Hey Liam.”

Entering the kitchen, he nods to the other omega and smiles back, not as naturally.

“hum - yeah I’m a bit hungry, thought I’d get something to eat here if that’s okay?”

Louis doesn’t know the feeding etiquette for a rogue in this pack. Maybe he isn’t supposed to just get food himself, maybe they don’t trust him enough and maybe he has to wait until someone deigns to bring him something. 

“Yeah of course! Niall and I were just preparing some pasta, you can join us if you’re interested.” Liam’s smile is inviting, but Louis doesn’t miss the side glance Niall’s giving his alpha. He was going to bring up some non perishable food to his room and hide half of it in his bag, but he figures he’ll have other opportunities to do so. And Liam’s puppy eyes are hard to dismiss.

“Yeah, okay, sure.” Just as Louis is about to ask if they need any help, although his cooking skills are nonexistent, Zayn brushes passed Louis in entering the kitchen, both Niall’s and Liam’s eyes light up.

“Zayn! Hi!”

Louis has to force himself not to roll his eyes. What a coincidence that the guy following him decides to go into the kitchen at the same moment? They greet each other, kissing and scenting one another and Louis realizes they’re all mated. _ Interesting _.

“Louis this is Zayn, our mate.”

Louis shakes hands with Zayn as if he didn’t know him already and tries his best to be polite, figuring it’ll be good to get to know the annoyance better. It might give him ideas as to how to lose the tail in the future.

Turns out, the three of them even through the excessive kissing and cuddling, are excellent cooks. That or Louis hasn’t had a proper meal in forever and wouldn’t know the difference anyway. Louis discovers that Liam is a black-smith, owning a shop in headquarters and that Niall is a strategist in the council which unnerves Louis to no end. It explains the constantly analyzing gaze on him. They also inform him of Zayn’s position and he tries to convey he didn’t know that already. They have a laugh about how humans constantly invent new things to go from point A to point B faster and Liam argues about superheroes with Zayn. By the end of their meal, Louis realizes he’s letting his guard down and he doesn’t care, actually having fun. Of course that bubbly feeling fluttering in his chest doesn’t last too long.

“So Louis, how long have you been on your own?” Niall ignores Liam’s glare.

Louis acts unbothered. Niall had been observing him closely the whole time, the questions were probably burning the blond’s lips.

“Nine years.”

Nobody at the table seems surprised, Louis deduces that everybody knew already. Frowning, he wonders why Niall would ask if that’s no news to him.

“So you were what? Thirteen, fourteen when your pack banished you?”

“Niall!” Liam seems scandalized by the line of questioning, but it does nothing to unphase the blond. Louis keeps a straight face.

“Fourteen yeah.”

Louis still can’t talk about that day without flashbacks. It’s getting harder to swallow his pasta as he tries to school his expression. 

“So you’ve just been going through pack territories since?”

“Yeah.”

“You must have seen a lot of them, how many?” Louis shrugs. _ How’s that relevant? _ Is he saying too much if he answers that? What’s Niall’s endgame?

“A lot.”

“How many is that?” 

Liam’s expression is almost comical, eyes wide, mouth opened, face red, clearly horrified and embarrassed.

Louis decides honesty is probably the best approach with someone like the omega before him. He seems like someone who’d notice a lie from a mile away.

“Sixty-two, counting this pack, sixty-three.”

Zayn and Liam gasp, it shuts Niall up for a moment, looking hesitant to continue. Louis doesn’t give him that chance.

“Anyway, thank you for the meal, it was really good.” He takes his leave quickly, not waiting for an answer. 

—-

“What the hell NIall?”

“That was really harsh babe.”

“I know, I know, I’ll apologize to him, but I had to test him.”

With his alphas full on frowning and glaring at him, Niall feels a teng of guilt in his guts.

“I had to! He looked off when he entered the kitchen at first. I thought he might have been dishonest and I had to test his sincerity.”

“What do you mean ‘he looked off’?”

Now both alphas look puzzled and worried.

“I mean like, he knows Zayn is following him but he acts like he doesn’t know.”

“What? No way. He doesn’t know, I’ve been so careful, I even use scent neutralizers, there’s just no way.” Niall looks at him fondly. 

“Oh Z. I know you’re really good at your job, the best even. But I guess Louis’ pretty good too. He wasn’t unfazed at all when you entered the kitchen, he even looked like he expected it. Then, when you introduced yourself to him, it’s like he already knew your name. And when we told him what you do for a living he tried to act surprised which is an odd reaction to that simple information. It looked forced. Besides he only looked interested, not surprised, when Liam and I shared our lane of work.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. So I thought, Louis’ putting effort into deceiving us and he has to have a reason for it. But he answered my questions honestly even if he was clearly hurt by them. He seemed genuine and like he’s been through a lot. So now I’m not so sure what to think. I felt for him and now I feel bad. I can’t imagine going through that many territories, for that long, being rejected like that.” Niall shivers at the thought. The alphas sense his growing distress and both bring the omega into a soothing embrace. 

“I honestly think he’s a good person.”

“Well, you think that of everybody Liam.”

“That’s why we love you.”

—- 

Louis hides in his room, sitting on the windowsill, unable to do much else, absently observing pups playing in the woods behind the main house. This strong desire to finally stay in one place, to be accepted, to be part of something is new and extremely frightening. The realization that if he doesn’t fit in the kindest pack he’s ever come across, he’ll never fit in anywhere crushes his soul into tiny pieces. It’s as if, this is it. This is possibly the last rejection his wolf will be able to take and Louis knows it and he has no control over it. He closes his eyes and lays his head on the cold glass, remembering his last moments with his pack.

_ “Louis Tomlinson! Come here right this second!” _

_ The Alpha command makes Louis sigh in annoyance. His dad is being absolutely unreasonable as usual. _

_ “What?” He knows his defiance annoys the shit out of him, but he doesn’t care, never has. _

_ “What do you think you’re doing?” _

_ “Well, if you must know _ Alpha Tomlinson, sir _ , I’m preparing to go hunt with my friends right this moment, if that’s alright with you.” Louis’ being cheeky and he knows it, he sees his dad’s blood boiling but couldn’t care less, it actually adds to the thrill in his spine. _

_ “It is certainly not. Omegas don’t hunt and you, even if you are a constant disappointment, are no exception to the rule.” Louis glares. He will go hunting. No question about that. But now he will have to do it sneakily, again. _

_ “But I -” _

_ “No! It is not open for debate. You will not go hunting, I forbid you.” Louis rolls his eyes. It’s as if his father still thinks Alpha commands have any impact on his behavior. If anything it’s an incentive to do the exact opposite just to prove a point. _

That night wasn’t his first hunting trip with his closest friends, Stan and Oli, but it was his last. It wasn’t the first time he’d disobeyed a direct order either. When he came back his father, to his astonishment and everybody else’s, announced his banishment to the entire pack, effective immediately, never getting to say goodbye to his mother properly or to his friends. When he remembers this moment, he tries to focus on the hunting trip which was an absolute bliss. He felt free in his wolf form beside friends that totally accepted him, his faults included. It was definitely worth it and he wouldn’t have done anything differently. 

Learning about Niall’s role in the council being an omega, he knows that if he had grown up in the Styles pack instead of the Tomlinson’s he probably wouldn’t feel this hole in his chest constantly, he probably would still bear the mark of a pack on his heart. Sitting there, eyes closed, stomach full for the first time in god knows how long, the distant sound of pups playing in the background, he suddenly feels exhausted. He hadn’t realized he’d started silently shedding tears. He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a very long time and that’s how he falls asleep, leaning on a cold window, face tearstained. 

And that is how Niall finds him when he goes up to his room intent on apologizing.


	8. Apology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Monday kitten saviours! Hope you have an amazing week! -Xx

_ The alpha’s grip is so tight it will probably leave a bruise. The marble ground crushes his knees as Louis gets tossed in front of the pack leader. Another alpha drops his precious bag beside him. Louis grabs it hastily as he glances at the exit guarded by two bulky wolves.  _

_ “Louis Tomlinson. It’s been brought to my attention that you keep stealing from humans and wolves all over our territory. I take great offence in this.” _

_ “It’s not my fault that you’re easily offended.” _

_ “You will not interrupt me when I speak!” Louis’ amazed to see the feeble alpha command bring the omegas in the room to their knees. _

_ “Sure, sorry, go right ahead”, he gestures for the Alpha to continue. _

_ The leader frowns. Louis gets a thrill every time he shows off his capacity to ignore an alpha command and can’t help the satisfied smirk taking over his face. _

_ “Insubordination isn’t going to help your case.”  _

_ “I mean my case is pretty clear already isn’t it? You’re kicking me out, I get it.” It’s juvenile to make this moment last longer than it has to and Louis’ getting tired of Alpha’s making a show out of it. He can see how James Scott is annoyed Louis’ beaten him to the punch. _

_ “Louis Tomlinson, you are to return every item you stole before the end of the day and than, yes indeed, you are not welcome here anymore.” _

_ Louis’ heart drops. How is he supposed to return everything? He’s been stealing what he needs for the last week. Most of the stolen items, he consumed in food. How is he supposed to return money he spent? _

_ “I only stole what I needed. I can’t really return food I’ve eaten can I?” _

_ “That’s not my problem, is it? You are to make amends with everyone you’ve wronged, that’s my final decision.”  _

_ The fucker has the audacity to leave when Louis would have had countless things left to say. Many of which wouldn’t be too appropriate anyway so he guesses it’s better he leaves it at that. As people in the room are distracted by their Alpha’s retreating figure, the omega makes a run for the exit. Brushing against James Scott, Louis dodges the guard’s futile attempts to stop him. The moment he sets foot outside the main house, he laughs at the uncoordinated alphas chasing him. Feeling liberated, he runs in the direction of the southern border, the Styles’ territory. However high the stakes, the chase has always been a fun part. He knows he’s good at it. It’s empowering. It helps him ignore the hurt that’s inevitable when you realize you don’t fit in anywhere. _

Louis startles awake. He turns towards the faint noise of someone entering the room, preparing to defend himself until he remembers where he is and sees Niall awkwardly standing in the doorway. The blond looks smaller than he did just minutes ago, fidgeting with his sleeves and transferring his weight from one leg to another.

\---

Harry has been silent for at least an hour, letting the council discuss the defensive plans for the northern border. They’d had those kinds of discussion before and the heated debate is quite frankly not helping his growing headache. Even if he wanted to participate, Harry has felt completely off since Louis’ arrival. Everytime he leaves the omega, a ball of anxiety forms in his guts. It’s as if his wolf can’t be settled if he doesn’t know for sure that Louis is safe. Although now he’s getting restless, unsure why. Sensing that something is wrong, he has this urge to make sure Louis isn’t in trouble. It’s unreasonable and he tries to push it aside and focus on the council meeting but worry is taking over his every thought. He finally gives in to his impulse and abruptly stands up. The council members, stunned, take a bit of time before they stand as well in a show of respect. 

“I’m sorry, I just need to take care of something. Please continue, I won’t be too long.” He exchanges a look with the elder who nods understandingly although Harry isn’t sure what the latter actually knows. 

\---

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Can I come in?”

Louis rubs sleep and ominous images out of his eyes as he gets up and nods.

“Sure.”

“Hum-” They’re both gaging each other, Louis wondering what else Niall could possibly want to know now and the other wondering where to begin.

“Can we sit?” Niall points to the bed and Louis obliges.

The obvious nervous demeanor of the other omega makes Louis weirdly gain confidence and he gets comfortable, sitting cross legged on the bed while Niall sits stiffly beside him, looking down to the bedding.

“I’m sincerely sorry.” Louis can see how ashamed he looks and can’t hide his shock. People here will never stop surprising him. Before he can ask what Niall would possibly be sorry about, the latter continues,

“You have no idea how guilty I feel. I was talking out of my ass earlier and I was being completely insensitive.” 

Louis is about to interject, tell him that he’s used to it and it really doesn’t matter, but Niall cuts him off, knowing how abused omegas craving affection are sometimes too forgiving.

“No, let me finish, before you accept my apology way too quickly. You’ve been through things that I couldn’t possibly imagine. Just now, Zayn and Liam had to comfort me just because I tried to empathise with you only a little bit. I realize now how privileged I am. I always have alphas and a pack around to help me through tough times, I never have to go through them alone. Not only have you been through way tougher times than I have, but you’ve had to go through it without the natural comforts omegas need. I -” Niall looks up, meeting Louis’ gaze and holding it. “I just wish I wasn’t a jerk to you just now. You deserve way better. I can only tell you that I know you are good and I promise you from now on, I’ll help in every way I can. I will convince Harry and the council to make you pack and make sure you get the treatment you need.” 

Louis coughs trying to regain his composure the words having pierced his walls deeper than he would have liked. “I don’t know what to say Niall. Thank you for apologizing. I don’t think it was necessary though. I understand why you asked those questions, you have every right to protect your pack and- oof” Louis doesn’t have time to finish his train of thought, the blond captures him in an engulfing hug.

“You  _ are _ pack Louis. It’s just not official yet.”

Why Niall could make that kind of statement is beyond Louis, but he can’t help the watery vale forming over his eyes and his genuine smile. He happily returns the hug.

The door to his room opens abruptly and Louis wonders if Harry doesn’t know another way to enter a room. 

“Louis, are you okay?” The subject in question begrudgingly detangles himself from Niall to look up at the Alpha who looks sincerely worried. The omega, a bit embarrassed by the emotion his face surely still displays, nods, unsure of Harry’s intents.

“Have you been crying? Are you alright?” Harry’s suddenly touching his cheeks and looking into his eyes and his smell is suffocatingly godsent and Louis can’t think properly and why would Harry care, why would he barge in only to know if Louis is okay? And why does it feel so disorienting having Harry’s face so close to his?

“I-hum...yeah…”is all he can mutter. 

“Yeah as in yes you’ve been crying? Niall what happened?” 

Suddenly the receptor of piercing, demanding green eyes, Niall startles.

“What? I- nothing! I mean-well. I was just apologizing. I think everything’s okay now…”

“Apologizing?” Harry turns back to Louis, still holding the omega’s face in his hands. He seems to realize the oddness of his behavior and releases his hold, worry never leaving his traits. Louis lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I should probably leave.” Niall retreats slowly towards the door, but Harry stops him.

“What were you apologizing for?” 

Niall looks like a deer caught in headlights and Louis takes pity on him.

“He didn’t do anything. Let him go Harry.” To Louis’s astonishment, the Alpha listens.

“So?” Harry’s expectant look annoys Louis who has a hard time understanding what’s happening.

“So what? You barge in here as if I just screamed for help or something. I’m totally fine. I don’t get it.” Harry brushes his hair back seeming to calm down a bit.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just. I’ve been feeling anxious.” Harry looks at Louis as if that was explanation enough. 

“Okay?”

“Like anxious about you. Like something was wrong, I don’t know. And something  _ is _ wrong, you’ve been crying, I can see it. I’ve never-hugh. I just. Are you really fine?”

Another werewolf, an alpha, is feeling worried about Louis and not any alpha but one that looks and smells like he was sent only to torture him. Louis’ speechless, only capable of opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. Harry takes this as a negative answer to his question and engulfs the omega in a tight hug. That’s two hugs in a very short amount of time and Louis has lost the ability to speak forever. This one feels extremely different though. It’s warmer and if he let himself sink into it, he’d probably drop just by how good it feels. Turning his head into Harry’s shoulder, he lets himself analyze Harry’s scent. A forest after the rain, when everything’s still wet but rays of sun pierce through the clouds and leaves. The image is stuck in his mind as the hug lingers. 

Harry lets the omega sink into the healing embrace. He can feel him falling asleep against his shoulder and can’t imagine how exhausted he must be. Once he hears Louis’ breathing even out, he gently spreads him on the bed, pulling the covers over his small frame and brushing his hair out of his face. His wolve’s releaf is immense. Analysing what just happened though, he frowns. Falling asleep after a simple alpha/omega embrace is kind of an intense reaction. He wants to go and get Olive so she can check on him, but he also never wants to leave Louis’ side again. That’s when he hears a distinctive crack of the wooden floor at the entrance of the room.

“Niall, I know you’re there. come in.”

Not hearing anything, Harry repeats himself but taints it with an alpha command. Sure enough, the blond appears in the doorway, sheepish.

“Sorry, Harry. I was just. You know we have to talk about all this, right? It complicates things. How can you still think you’re going to send him away? You’re clearly attached... We need to-”

“Niall! Stop!” Louis stirs and Harry rubs his arm, effectively calming the omega down. Niall doesn’t miss the gesture. The alpha lowers his voice when he continues.

“We’ll talk about this later. For now, could you get Olivia please? I want her to check on Louis.”

Ever the perspicacious one, Niall understands the implication immediately and nods just before hurrying to the hospital.

\---

“I’m glad you asked me to check on him although, considering Louis’ situation, he’s reaction to alpha/omega embrace is perfectly normal. Omegas usually need more sleep than alphas and betas. I’m guessing he doesn’t get nearly enough sleep if he’s always on high alert. That would explain his exhaustion. This deep slumber is actually a good step towards healing.“ 

Harry, still sat next to Louis’ sleeping figure on the bed, nods, reassured. He urges Olivia to continue.

”His vitals are fine. I’d have to ask him a few questions and take a blood sample to do a more thorough job. I suggest doing that in the morning, when he wakes, I don’t want to interrupt his sleep. He’s also severely underweight which worries me greatly. Has he eaten anything today?”

It pains Harry to say he doesn't know. How could he not know? Than again, why would he? Louis isn’t his. He technically has no reason to keep track of such a thing.  _ Yet _ . 

Niall, lingering beside the bed is the one that ends up providing an answer.

“He’s eaten a bit of pasta earlier, but he didn’t finish his serving.” A renewed wave of guilt takes over the omega.

“And he didn’t eat breakfast this morning according to the nurses.” Olivia shakes her head, frowning. “Harry, I know he might not stay here for that long, but you asked me to get him back to health while he  _ is _ here and that’s what I intend on doing. I’ll provide a diet plan and we have to make sure he eats three meals a day from now on.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less from you Oliv’. I’ll personally make sure he eats. It’s getting late, I say we all get some sleep and I’ll call for a council meeting tomorrow.”

Both Niall and Olivia perk up at that.

“Does that mean…?”

“Yes Oliv’, Louis is staying… if the council accepts.”

_ God let the council accept. _


	9. How to build a boat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday to all the kitten saviours!  
Pardon the short update, I've had a crazy week -.-'' I'll try to update again this week to make up for it.  
-Xx

When Louis wakes he’s surprised to see the sun is up and it’s been up for a while judging by the sounds of people going about their day outside. Usually waking up every hour or so, he’s dumbfounded as to how he slept through the night. Then, he remembers. Embarrassed doesn’t begin to describe how Louis is feeling. Has he ever slept better? No. Is he completely rested for the first time in years? Sure. Still, Does his face heat up at the thought he fell asleep in Harry’s arms? Definitely. What’s most shameful is how he wishes he could always fall asleep that way. He blames his needy wolf and shoves the feelings aside as best he can which is not very well.

Freshening up in the bathroom, he elaborates a plan for his remaining days in the Styles pack. Even though he’d love nothing more than to relax and treat this as a vacation, he has to acknowledge the precarious situation he’s in. Any way he puts it, getting his ass to the library to figure out how to cross to the Eastern Lands should be a priority. 

Putting last night’s incident behind him, precious bag on his shoulders, he heads out, intent on researching how to build a boat and navigate. As he silently slips out of his room, he realizes he won’t get much sleep if he has only twelve days to learn.

\---

“This is absurd, we’ve always based our decisions on kindness. Why the hell would that situation be any different?”

“I want to be kind too Harry, but we’ve never admitted a rogue in our pack. He’s only been here for three days! We don’t even know why his pack banished him in the first place.” 

Harry’s fuming. Greg, their military advisor is being absolutely unreasonable and they’ve been arguing for the past hour. Furthermore, Harry’s been having this gut feeling telling him he should check on Louis. He’s been dying to get out of the meeting to do so. Knowing Greg isn’t about to budge anytime soon, he turns to Zayn.

“Could you check on Louis? I think he’s woken up... Make sure he eats.”

Zayn frowns and tilts his head to the side, confused as to how Harry would know.

“Hum. Sure.” He stands up and sets out to find the omega while Harry goes back to his frustrating argument.

“Look Greg, Olivia said he won’t last long if-”

“That’s beside the point Harry.”

“How is Louis’ health beside the point?”

“He’s not pack!”

“He should be!”

“Harry.”

Harry’s head snaps towards the elder. It’s the first time he’s spoken for the last hour. Although he never raises his voice, when Allan Styles speaks, everybody listens. Harry gestures for him to continue.

“Why are you pushing so hard to make Louis stay? With what happened to your parents, I would have thought you’d be the last one to ever accept a rogue in our pack.”

Harry frowns. 

“I did initially react on the defensive, thinking of my parents. But then I met Louis and… he’s nothing like the rogue that killed them. The situation’s totally different.” harry shrugs, feeling absolutely pathetic and extremely small under the elder’s scrutinizing gaze.

Silence settles as everyone waits to see if Allan Styles is going to add anything. It’s Catherine, the finance advisor that breaks it.

“May I ask how you knew Louis was awake just now?”

Harry’s mouth opens only to close again.

“What?” Harry shakes his head, as if trying to put his thoughts into place.

“I don’t know...”

“You stated he was awake as if you knew it for a fact.”

“Did I?”

“They’re soulmates…” As he says it, more to himself, Niall’s eyes widen in realisation.

“You two are soulmates aren’t you? It would explain so much!”

“What are you on about Niall? Soulmates are… we haven’t seen soulmates in decades!”

“It’s highly improbable, but it isn’t impossible.” Allan Styles continues with a leveled voice. “And from what I saw, it would make a lot of sense.”

Seeing the confused look on his grandson’s face, Allan elaborates,

“You’ve been on edge since Louis has arrived which is absolutely out of character for you. Just now, you knew when he was awake, a total giveaway for a deeper bond. And you’re fighting for a rogue to stay even though your parents were killed by one. Also, the face you make when you talk about Louis...”

“I don’t make a face.”

“You do make a face.” Niall interjects, amused.

“I don’t.” Harry’s eyes shoot daggers at his annoying blond friend.

“Would you like to acknowledge the other points I made or do you want to get stuck on that one?” The elder states calmly.

“I’d like to get stuck on that one, thanks.” Harry mumbles looking down at the table and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Look Harry, I can’t imagine how overwhelming it must be to realize you’ve met your soulmate, but unfortunately, you don’t really have time to process it. Obviously we need to account for this new information in our decision making.” Saying so, Allan looks at Greg pointedly. 

“Is it true Harry, is he your soulmate?” The latter asks.

Harry thinks back on the small amount of time he’s had with Louis. The anxiety creeping up on him every time he leaves the omega. How it felt holding him the night prior, his calming scent, the way he did know Louis was awake just now. His eyes widen as he slowly sees what his grandfather as been saying.

“Yes. I believe Louis is my soulmate.” 

“Okay. Well I guess that’s that. We don’t have a choice.” Greg acknowledges.

\---

Louis’ hunched over and surrounded by a multitude of books and papers in a far corner of the library when Zayn finally finds him. He tries to be subtle in his approach, wanting to observe the omega and see what he’s up to, a training habit. But as soon as he enters Louis’ vicinity, the latter doesn’t even have to look up from his reading material to spot him.

“Were you here to stalk or to talk? I can’t tell if you’re trying to be subtle.” 

_ The little shit _. Zayn can’t help the smile creeping up on his face.

“How do you always know when I’m there?”

Louis does look up now, dumfounded.

“Your smell, obviously.”

“My smell? But I use scent neutralizers...” Zayn tries not to sit on any books as he settles next to Louis who’s chuckling.

“Scent neutralizers don’t really cover scent. It’s like a band-aid on an opened wound.”

The sceptic look on Zayn’s face urges Louis to extrapolate.

“A werewolf’s scent is layered like an onion. The neutralizers only cover the most obvious part of it, but I can still smell tobacco leaves, pine and cinnamon on you. Not sure about the cinnamon yet actually, but something like that.” Zayn’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“Okay…” Zayn shakes his head in disbelief. “Your sense of smell is honestly the best I’ve ever heard of. Even Niall can’t describe my scent that well.”

Louis shrugs while getting back to his books.

“Had to learn...”Louis stares at the word ‘starboard’ of the sentence he’s been trying to understand for the past fifteen minutes, as he tries to push away the sudden flashbacks of his first year alone. He remembers the hours, no the _ days _ spent desperately training his nose to differentiate between smells. That year, he’d though he wouldn’t survive the constant attacks from alpha rogues. He’s amazed he did quite frankly. 

“So… actually, I’m here ‘cause Harry wanted to make sure you ate breakfast this morning…” That startling statement effectively pushes the sumber thoughts away and Louis looks up to see if Zayn is joking. He isn’t. 

“I hum. What?”

“Did you eat breakfast this morning? If not, I can prepare you something.”

Silence falls on them as Louis tries to make sense of the situation.

“Just. Okay. So… Harry wanted to make sure I ate?”

Why would he make sure the freeloader rogue on his territory eats? And, most importantly, why does it send butterflies to Louis’ stomach?

Zayn laughs softly.

“Yes, Louis. He’s the one that sent me here to make sure you eat. By your reaction, I’m guessing you didn’t, so let’s go.” Zayn gets up, waiting for Louis to follow.

Louis ignores the butterflies and frowns. He has so much research to do in such a small amount of time. Besides, he’s so accustomed to starving that he isn’t even hungry.

“No, actually I’m fine. Thanks though. I really need to read this... so…” He expects Zayn to leave it at that and leave. Instead, the alpha purses his lips and picks up one of the discarded books on the floor.

“_ How to Build a Boat _ by Jonathan Gornall. Is it any good?”

“It’s shit. Turns out there’s nothing in there to actually teach you how to build a boat.”

Zayn tilts his head curiously a little amused.

“You want to… learn how to build a boat?”

Louis sighs, closing the book he was reading, unable to understand half the words.

“Yeah. Once I’m out of Harry’s territory, I need to cross to the Eastern Lands.” He shrugs as if it isn’t the biggest worry in his life, as if it isn’t a total suicide mission. Judging by the almost comical face Zayn is pulling, the alpha’s aware it isn’t a small feat. Once he gets back to an almost controlled expression, Zayn shakes his head and takes a deep breath, trying to process this. 

“There is absolutely no way you’re doing that Louis.” Louis can see how hard Zayn is trying to keep his voice down. Louis frowns.

“Actually I don’t have that much of a choice. I’ll do it or die trying.” Louis tries to act confident although he knows the idea is crazy.

“Are you completely insane? Crossing the fucking ocean on a makeshift raft by yourself? Surely there’s another option.” Louis takes back the book from Zayn’s hands.

“You’ve known me for three days, not even. You have absolutely no right to dictate what I can and cannot do. And I know how to take care of myself, I’ve been doing this for nine years.” To Louis’ frustration, Zayn keeps shaking his head, dismissively.

“Once Harry hears about this... I mean, he’s never going to let you do such a stupid thing. Hell, he’ll never let you out of his sight again once he knows what you’re up to.” Louis frowns, staring at Zayn, absolutely confused.

“What does Harry got to do with any of this?”

Zayn realizes he might have spoken out of terms. and turns his gaze away.

“Just. forget it. Can you just... come with me and eat some fucking food?”

“No. I’m busy at the moment. Thank you.” Louis opens another book and turns his attention to it, effectively ending the conversation, leaving Zayn distraught and alarmed. 

  
As the alpha gets back to headquarters, he’s desperate to report back to Harry, hoping the Alpha can put some sense into Louis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for the support. Comments and kudos are a big motivator! -Xx


	10. Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's monday! How great?  
-Xx

It’s passed noon and Louis’ head is full of sailing terms. From what he could gather, a sailboat seems like the best option. So he’s gone and got every book of the library on the subject. Zayn was probably right, it’s the most dangerous and preposterous idea he’s ever had, but the more he reads into it, the more conceivable the project becomes. He does have experience in building things from scratch. In the past years, he’s had to learn how to build tools, weapons, shelters... he once built a whole cabin to hide on a particularly hostile territory. The strategy had worked for almost three months, but he was forced to get medical supplies from a city nearby and one of the pack’s werewolves discovered him... Louis absentmindedly brushes his fingers over a scar on his stomach and shudders at the violent memory. He closes his eyes and tries to regain control of his thoughts, bringing them back to the  _ fascinating _ mechanics of a helm.

He decides he’ll make a smaller prototype and try it out in a fountain or a pond since the heavenly Styles headquarters seems to be full of those. Then, he’ll just have to replicate it... only bigger. Easy… Louis sighs, shakes his head and focusses back on his work. No room for doubts, it’s either that or get killed by one of the surrounding packs.

After his talk with Zayn, he isn’t too surprised when he hears a commotion at the entrance of the library and a very distinctive scent. Harry. Feeling like a misbehaving child who’s been caught, he tries to push his nerves aside. He  _ isn’t _ a child and there’s no way he’ll be scolded like one. 

By the time Harry finds the corner he’s sat in, it seems like the whole library has gathered around, curious to know what has gotten their normally so calm and collected Alpha so agitated. 

“Have you lost your damn mind?”

Harry’s visibly boiling with rage and towering over Louis who’s still sat on the floor surrounded by an impressive amount of books. He would never admit it, but the Alpha does intimidate him a tiny bit. 

“Hi Harold. You sure know how to enter a room dramatically.”

“I’ll reiterate. Have you  _ completely _ lost your damn mind? Crossing the  _ fucking _ ocean on a makeshift raft? Do you actually  _ want _ to die?”

“Okay. I know the idea is a bit rough-” 

“A bit rough?”

“-but hear me out. I honestly think I can pull it off.”

“Oh great! So you’re insane AND delusional! Fantastic!”

“If I can just find a hardware store nearby, I can get started on a prototype, it really doesn’t seem so hard.” 

Harry, in lieu of an answer, starts to close the books displayed around Louis on the floor. 

“Hey I’m reading those! I just have to put down a plan first... will you stop?” Louis tries to get the books back, but Harry’s way too strong and keeps getting the upper hand, shoving them on the shelves. 

“Harry, you’re being unreasonable!” 

“Oh!  _ I’m _ being unreasonable?” 

“Look, I can test out my prototype in a pond or a fountain somewhere at headquarters and then, you know…” 

Harry keeps putting away the books so violently he almost rips some pages. Louis sees one of the librarians wince more than once. “Once I got the prototype, I just need to replicate it bigger. No big deal.”

That has Harry stopping, three voluminous books in one hand. Louis isn’t thinking about how big Harry’s hands are. No. That would be weird. Right?

“No big deal? No big deal? Have you ever built anything in your life Louis?”

“I’ve built a cabin once.” Louis regrets it as soon as he says it.

“Oh really? You built a cabin? Great! Bravo! And did it float and give you the ability to cross the fucking ocean?”

_ Why is Harry’s anger so hot? _

“No. But it did hold up pretty well.” Louis can’t help his cheeky grin. Why is it fun to make Harry that furious?

“It held up pretty w-? Okay. Enough. I’m not giving this crazy idea any more room to grow.” Harry’s gotten all the books back on the shelves except for the one Louis is holding. The smaller wolf follows the Alpha’s gaze and presses the surviving book to his chest protectively.

“Not that one! I’m reading that one.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem.”

Harry forcibly takes the book from Louis’ grip who’s not nearly strong enough to stop him. 

“Harry!”

“There’s no way I’m letting you read those books Louis.”

Now that has Louis frustrated enough to ignore how hot angry Harry looks.

“Letting me? Letting me? You have no business _ letting  _ me do anything. I can take care of myself, I think I’ve more than proven that by just being  _ alive _ after nine years alone out there!”

“With ideas like that? It’s a wonder you’re still breathing!”

“Well I am! And without an Alpha to tell me what I can or cannot do.” 

“Whatever. This argument is pointless. You’re staying here anyway.”

“What?”

“I’ve talked to the council, we’ve agreed to let you stay.”

Gasps and murmurs surround them as Louis takes the new information in. He’s as shocked as their impromptu audience. 

“I can stay? You mean… indefinitely?”

Harry’s features soften.

“Yeah, Lou. You can stay Indefinitely. I didn’t want to tell you like this, but yeah.”

“Does that mean he’s going to become part of the pack?” a beta asks just loud enough to be heard over the whispers of the crowd.

Louis swallows and looks at Harry, waiting anxiously for his answer. The Alpha looks uncomfortable. Nervous. Like he has to deliver bad news and that’s answer enough for Louis. He isn’t pack. He’s allowed to stay, but he’s not pack. They’ll tolerate his presence, nothing more. It’s dumb to feel hurt about that. No other pack has ever extended that much courtesy his way. He knows he doesn’t fit in and should be glad he’s found a place that doesn’t chase him away and threaten him of death should he return. He shouldn’t expect more than that. He shouldn’t. But his stupid attention craving wolf wants to be accepted, to be part of something, to stop looking from the outside.

“Louis I-”

“I need to get some air.” Louis picks his bag up and pushes through the mass of werewolves surrounding them. Walking out the door, although determination is written in every step, it’s heartbreak that grows stronger inside of him. Why can’t he be a good omega? Respectful, submissive, gentle, patient. He’s none of those things. Instead he’s just… rebellious and defective. And a thief. He wishes he could talk some sense into his younger self. Tell him to stop stirring up trouble and be good, to fall into line and stop questioning authority incessantly. Then, he wouldn’t have been thrown out in the first place. He wouldn’t be in this mess. 

He doesn’t realise he’s shifted into his wolf form, running through the forest until he senses another running wolf next to him. Harry’s wolf is massive, white fur catching in the fading daylight, powerful muscles working to keep up with Louis who’s wolf is absolutely pathetic next to him. Fur a dull brown and way smaller in size, he’s almost embarrassed. 

Harry tries to block his path, indicating clearly that he wants Louis to stop. The omega sees the move coming from a mile away and easily jumps over the surprised Alpha. For a moment, Louis thinks he’ll be left alone until he hears rapid footsteps catching up with him again. He huffs and accelerates, jumping over and under branches and fallen trees, making sharp turns, fleeing habits kicking in. A thrill of pleasure crawls through his spine when he sees Harry struggling to keep up. 

The challenge makes Louis’ hair bristle and shifts his focus out of his mind and into his muscles. Harry’s fast and more agile than your typical alpha. He seems to get as much fun out of this as Louis since he gets more than one chance to put Louis to a stop and clearly refrains from doing so. 

They run until the sun sets and the crescent moon takes its place. The last time Louis had so much fun was hunting with his friends nine years ago. Eventually, he slows down, body heavy and out of breath, Harry slowing down next to him, panting just as much. When Harry signals for them to go back, Louis follows suite without complaining. If he’s honest, he’s pushed himself further than he should have when he hasn’t eaten or drunk any water all day. For some unfathomable reason, his wolf wanted to show off, to impress Harry. 

A sudden dizzy spell makes Louis’ step falter. He’s vision blurring for a second has him stopping completely. Harry halts next to him. Sensing something’s wrong, he shifts back to his human form. 

“Louis, are you okay?” 

Louis’ shift takes up every bit of energy he has left and his vision goes completely black. 

When he comes back, he’s laying on the floor and Harry is towering over him, worry written all over his face. 

“Lou?” Harry’s pitch is higher than usual as he shakes Louis into consciousness.

Louis forces a smile and ignores his dizziness, sitting up against a tree.

“I’m okay, I’m okay... just tired.”

“You haven’t eaten all day have you? Did you at least drink water?”

Louis winces as he shakes his head no, the movement not helping his vision or his growing headache.

Harry sighs, exasperated.

“You’re going to drive me crazy aren’t you?”

Louis frowns at that, unsure of what he means. He doesn’t have time to ask since Harry tells him to “hop on” and shifts back to his wolf form.

It’s twice in not even a week that he’s had to be transported that way. It’s humiliating but he honestly doesn’t think he can make it all the way back without fainting again. He sighs in defeat and lets himself be carried to headquarters again, hiding his reddening cheeks in Harry’s fur, breathing in Harry’s comforting scent.

To Louis’ dismay, Harry’s scent seems to detain the power of putting him to sleep anywhere and anytime. When he opens his eyes again, he’s met with Harry’s solid chest carrying him bridal style. The steadiness of Harry’s steps and his scent almost lull him back to sleep until he recognizes the entrance to the main house. It’s plunged in darkness, completely silent apart from the odd snoring sounds. 

Louis’ surprised when, instead of carrying him to his room, Harry goes straight to the kitchen, sitting him on the counter facing the stove. He then shoves a chocolate bar and a water bottle in the omega’s hands. Louis mumbles a thank you and naively thinks that Harry will stop there... As Louis gulps down half of his water, Harry frantically takes out seemingly every item of food in the fridge and the cupboards. 

“Harry, you don’t need to-”

“I’m cooking dinner and you will eat it.”

“Harry it’s late, we should just go to sleep.”

“Eat your damn chocolate bar Louis.”

“That’s an odd way of telling me to shut up.” 

The sharpness in Harry’s words is effective however and Louis stops protesting. A feat that not a lot of people have succeeded in. Louis’ impressed, so he eats the chocolate, every bite making him come back to life a little but also making him realise how hungry he is. The rumble of his stomach elicits a grown from Harry who’s frantically stirring something on the stove and mumbling unintelligibly. Although Louis thinks he catches “starve himself” and “idiot soulmate”, but he must have heard the last one wrong. Louis catches himself staring at the muscles of Harry’s back while he works, how expertly he moves about in the kitchen. He looks in his element, completely at ease although clearly annoyed at Louis’ lack of self care.

Louis moans around the first bite without even thinking about it. Harry’s made stir fry in less than fifteen minutes and it’s absolutely amazing. He’s still perched on the counter as Harry stands between his legs, satisfied smirk on his face.

“That good huh?”

“Oh shut up.”

Harry grins wider as Louis inhales his food in a record amount of time.

“So… listen. About the council’s decision…”

Louis knows where Harry’s going with this and has no desire to talk about all the perfectly good reasons why they can’t officially accept him as pack. He puts his empty plate beside him hastily and hops off the counter.

“Thanks for the food, it was really good.”

“Louis-”

Louis’ aware of how cowardly he’s being as he backs away, towards his room.

“Oh and thanks for the run too. I had forgotten how great it feels to run with another wolf instead of away from them.” Louis laughs breathily while Harry frowns.

Louis’ almost out of the kitchen when he hears Harry answer a small “anytime”heavy with disappointment. Louis feels bad for leaving so abruptly, but he’s never been very good at not disappointing people. If Harry has any expectations from him, he needs to get used to the let down.


	11. Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A surprise update! Yeah!  
I had to write an essay and procrastinated a bunch, so here you go!  
Next update on Monday -Xx

Louis sleeps for two hours until he’s up and alert again. He tries to go back to sleep but it’s no use. He keeps thinking of the council’s decision. Turning it in his head and trying to make sense of his sentiments about it. He’s happy. Of course he is. He can stay in one place, no hiding, no fear of being attacked or chased away. He’s never encountered a pack who was willing to tolerate him and that says a lot about Harry’s pack. He should just be happy of how lucky he is. But he can’t help the disappointment. He’s disappointed that the pack doesn’t want to accept him. And he’s angry with himself for being disappointed about that. He figures he’s just in adoration with the harmony he sees in this pack. With the beauty of headquarters. With the kindness that seems to propel everybody’s actions here. He figures he’s also tired of running away, of pulling teeth just to survive another day. He figures that’s why he’s so upset they’re not making him an official member of their pack. But that’s a lie. Or rather that’s not the entire truth. If he’s being honest with himself, which he rarely is, Harry’s the main reason for his distress. 

He likes Harry. A lot. Dangerously so.

An  _ Alpha _ , of all people. He can’t stop replaying last night’s events in his head. Even when Harry’s being insufferable his wolf wants him. Desires him. Images of his curls bouncing around as he easily picks up multiple books in his larger than normal hands make him shiver. He can’t help imagining those hands on him. Even the way he’d frantically cooked for him, mumbling nonsense out of irritation sends butterflies to his stomach. How protected and safe Harry makes him feel. He’s just never felt that way around an alpha before. Even his own father. Especially his own father actually. He has to stop. Harry would never want a rogue like him, he’s the Alpha, the leader of the Styles pack. Yes, he’s kind to Louis, but he seems to be that way with everyone and Louis  _ can not _ afford to fall for him. It’ll only result in heartbreak.

Louis decides to get up, knowing that when he gets like this, trying to rest is pointless. The darkness outside indicates it’s still the middle of the night. 

Louis doesn’t have a plan when he takes his backpack and descends silently to the first floor of the main house. He wonders, exploring, careful not to wake anyone. He doesn’t think when he stuffs his bag with non perishable food. He doesn’t think when he quietly opens a medicinal cabinet in the bathroom and grabs some painkillers and bandages. He’s on auto pilot as he just fills his bag with whatever he deems useful while exploring the main floor stealthily. A familiar warm scent leads him to a very familiar door. Harry’s study. Where he refused to even meet Louis, where he commanded Liam to send him away just a few days ago. Where Louis thought he’d be sent away immediately. 

It’s also where Harry spends most of his time and the smell is intoxicating. Louis dares to open the door, slowly, cautiously. Somewhere, at the back of his mind, he knows he’s playing with fire. He knows his position here is wobbly at best and being discovered doing something so sneaky could mean getting kicked out of the first place that accepted his presence in years. But that thought is very far in the back of his mind. Curiosity’s at the forefront. He’s never been good at impulse control. 

The room reflects Harry’s entire demeanor. It reflects how his scent feels to Louis. It’s warm, inviting and a little chaotic. There’s a foyer and books and haphazardly thrown papers on a sturdy looking desk. The furniture looks handmade, unique and tasteful. Louis sits on the couch for a minute. Basking in the scent and admiring the seating comfort. 

There’s a hoodie resting on the desk chair. 

Louis is bold, and everybody’s asleep and he can smell Harry on it even from his position on the couch. The temptation is too strong to resist. He makes his way to the chair and grabs the hoodie. He indulges in the scent for a while before putting it in his bag, already full of essential items. It’s not weird, he tells himself. He just likes the smell. 

Retreating to his room, Louis finally lets himself analyse what he’s just done. 

More than anything, he wants to believe that Harry and the council wouldn’t come back on their decision, but it’s as if part of him doesn’t really understand the decision in the first place. It makes him sceptical, like something isn’t right. The only reason he can come up with is charity. Louis is a charity case. Only, charity can sometimes get old. And they’re bound to slowly realize all the ways Louis fucks up on the daily. Just now, he was stealing from the only genuinely kind pack he’s come across, he doesn’t answer well to alpha commands or authority in general, he’s reckless and doesn’t think before he acts, he gets into trouble constantly and gets others into trouble. He momentarily thinks of Charlotte, how much of a good person she is, Niall too. If they let him befriend them, Louis will surely find a way to corrupt them. Just as he did with Oli and Stan. Back then, his friends were constantly getting yelled at because of the shit he pulled or got them into. He doesn’t want to repeat the same thing here. The problem is, he’s sure he will. It’s just him, it’s how he is. He can’t change that. Once the council realizes that, it’s only a matter of time before he gets thrown out like a used toy, like a defective, annoying broken dog. 

That’s why his bag is full of stolen goods. That’s why he still needs to think of plan B: crossing the ocean. If it doesn’t work out here, it’s the only plan he has. He needs to keep working at it. He’ll just have to be sneakier or Harry will certainly lose it. 

He doesn’t think he needs much more than what he’s stolen already for now, so he hides his bag in his closet before making his way downstairs and outside the house. His senses are alert, as always, as he makes his way through the small streets. There’s barely enough light for him to see where he’s going. Judging by the moon’s position in the sky, it must be close to two or three in the morning. He did spot a hardware store, or something to that effect on his first day exploring and he wants to see if he can find his way to it again. It isn’t too hard and he’s not surprised when he finds the door is locked. He decides to come back during the day, see if there are cameras or an alarm system. He’ll come better prepared during the night again and get what he needs for his prototype. He’ll have to work on his plan at night since he doesn’t know if the council still wants Zayn to monitor his every move. That could be a problem. Louis never gets much sleep anyway. Unless he’s scenting Harry apparently. 

\---

“Hey Lou, you awake?”

Louis closes the book he’d stolen from the library hastily and throws it under his pillow. Harry opens the door to his room a second after.  _ That was close _ . He tries to look like he’s just woken up, yawning and stretching. He’s pretty confident in his act, although the bags under his eyes might be telling a different story. He’s not too worried about that since Harry’s eyes are locked on the part of his stomach where his shirt has ridden. Louis smirks, his wolf satisfied at the attention.

“‘morning Harry.”

Harry’s eyes snap back up to meet his eyes. He flushes and coughs.

“I’m going to make breakfast. You hungry?”

Louis hesitates. He was planning on going straight to the hardware store.

Harry rolls his eyes.

“That wasn’t a question Louis. Come downstairs and eat breakfast.”

Sighing, Louis supposes he could eat before going to the store. Rolling out of bed and getting dressed he almost forgets about the book under his pillow. He shoves it in his backpack and as he puts it back in his wardrobe, he thinks he should probably get a better hiding spot since, if someone finds it, he’s absolutely screwed. Not only will he get thrown out of the Styles territory, but he most certainly will have to leave his treasures behind. It’ll have to wait until after breakfast. He just hopes nobody discovers it in the meantime.

As he descends the stairs leading to the kitchen, an alpha he doesn’t recognise starts to climb the other way. The smell of cologne is strong, but it doesn’t mask his floral natural scent. It’s a lot of scents to take in for Louis’ nose and he hopes he doesn’t talk to him. 

“Hey! You’re Louis right?” Louis forces a smile, resolved on making a good first impression if he’s going to be here for a while. But the narrow stairs are making their closeness a little uncomfortable and the alpha’s smell is so intense that Louis has a hard time breathing.

“Hum- yeah, I’m Louis.”

“Nick.” The alpha extends a hand, the handshake is made awkward by their proximity. Louis descends another step, hoping to put some distance between us, but the alpha smirks as he follows him down and puts an arm on the railing, effectively blocking Louis’ path. Louis frowns.

“Heard you were staying with us. I’m really glad.”

“Oh, well. I’m glad too.” Louis smiles tightly and hopes Nick will end it there. He glares at the arm still in his way.

“I was wondering if someone took the time to show you around. I’d be very happy to do so for you if you wanted.” Nick’s smile is off and Louis’ getting more and more uncomfortable.

“Louis, breakfast!”

Harry’s voice is teetering extremely close to an alpha command and Louis didn’t think he’d ever be glad to hear that kind of tone in his life. 

“You shouldn’t make the Alpha wait.” Nick whispers in his ear and winks before finally removing his arm. Louis rushes down the stairs, very aware of Nick’s gaze on his back. 

He stifles a shiver as he enters the kitchen. He’s met with a very productive Harry who’s apparently cooked an entire fucking feast. 

“Was Nick bothering you?” Louis nods distractedly as he eyes the copious amounts of food.

“He was?” 

Louis ignores him and gapes at the extravagance… eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns, muffins, fruits, all kinds of pastries, there’s coffee, smoothie, juice and...

“Is that chocolate fondue?”

“yeah, hope you like chocolate.” Harry has a genuine worried expression on his face and Louis looks at him like he sprung a second head.

“Who doesn’t like chocolate?” Harry sighs in relief.

_ Is Harry mental? _

“Who’s going to eat all this?”

“Well us. And then the rest of the pack once I allow it.”

Harry points to the werewolves hovering at the door. 

“Really? So the Alpha eats first here?”

That might be the only traditional thing the Styles pack does. Although most packs just wait for the Alpha and their mates to take the first bite not eat the whole meal. Also, Louis isn’t the Alpha or the Alpha’s mate.

“Oh! No. Not at all, it’s just that. Well.”

Now Louis is confused. He steps closer to Harry, tilting his head in a silent question.

Harry’s flustered which has Louis worried now.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Hum, it’s just that Olivia said you’re underweight and you need to eat more. She said that it’s cause for concern and to make sure you eat at least three times a day. So I just want to make sure you eat until you’re full before the rest of the pack joins in. And I really don’t want you to faint again.”

Louis smiles, his wolf preening. He tries to be mad at the over the top gesture, but he can’t. 

“It’s really sweet Harry, but…” He looks at the overloaded dining table, a bit overwhelmed.

“I went overboard didn’t I?”

“A tiny little bit, yeah.” 

Louis laughs good heartedly and Harry smiles at him.

“Well, good thing I am hungry. But you shouldn’t make them wait, there’s plenty for everyone.” Louis points to the door where the smell of food has attracted even more main house residents. 

Harry sighs and invites the pack to join in. However, he insists that Louis fill his plate first and keeps growling at everyone who gets too close to Louis’ food while they eat.

It’s strange and puts Louis on edge. He can’t figure out why Harry would care so much. His behaviour seems to go further than just welcoming a rogue on his territory. But maybe Louis is just creating stories in his own head. With how much his wolf craves attention, he wouldn’t be surprised. 

When he suggests he should help with the washing, Harry ushers him away which frustrates him a bit. If he’s to live here, he should pull his own weight. He doesn’t argue too much though and decides to seek a better hiding place for his backpack while Harry is occupied. He knows Zayn is also occupied and isn’t likely to follow him as he saw Niall come in to grab some food earlier reeking of sex and retracting hastily to his bedroom. He’s pretty confident in guessing Liam, Zayn and Niall are having a busy sunday morning. 

While getting into his room however, he hears footsteps at his door and a telling scent. He doesn’t have to turn to know Nick is leaning on the doorframe, a cocky smirk on his face. Louis groans. That alpha is going to be a problem isn’t he? 


	12. Soulmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Monday! :)

Harry peeks into the hospital room where Olivia is stitching a beta’s wound, face cold as she concentrates. Harry hates to interrupt, but Olivia is always working anyway and he’s never felt so out of control. He needs a doctor’s point of view as soon as possible. 

“Hey Oliv’, can we talk?”

She doesn’t look up from her meticulous duty as she answers.

“Sure. Let me just finish up here, I’ll be out in a sec.”

Harry paces outside the room impatiently. He’s glad when Olivia exits five minutes after and leads him to a nearby empty room, understanding they’ll need privacy with her doctor instinct Harry’s continuously impressed by. Harry sits on the side of the bed while Olivia rolls a chair in front of him.

“So what’s going on?”

“It’s about Louis. he’s - hum.” 

_ No point in beating around the bush _ , 

“He’s my soulmate, I think...”

Olivia’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. She gapes for a while before saying anything.

“What? Oh my g- wait, you ‘think’?”

“Yeah, no. I’m pretty sure. It’s just that. I have no reference point. I don’t know any couple who are soulmates. Actually I don’t know if our pack ever  _ had _ soulmates. It’s why I’m here really. I thought maybe you could help me understand this better?”

“O course! That’s amazing! Oh my god! That’s so cool!”

Olivia gets up as she gets increasingly excited, smiling widely.

Harry didn’t expect that reaction.

“It is?”

“Yes! I mean I’ve only studied the phenomena in med school but we could never observe it in real life ‘cause it’s so rare! I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to see this and now I can document it!” 

She hastily gets a clipboard and a pen from the foot of the bed as she speaks animatedly. 

“I should even invite some students so that they can apply the theories in real life. It’s really amazing! How are you feeling? Did you know right away? Or did it take you some time to realize? If so, why is that? Do you-”

“Hey, slow down Oliv’! One question at a time please?”

“Okay. Yes. Sorry I got excited.”

Olivia takes a moment to regroup. She sits back in front of Harry looking a bit more like a doctor with his patient albeit the giddy smile on her face. 

“Okay. Let’s start from the beginning. What makes you think Louis is your soulmate?”

“Well… how can I put this into words? Hum… apart from the fact that I felt this floating sense of relief when I first saw him, I know things about him that he doesn't talk about. Like I know he’s tired and he hasn’t slept much even if he assured me of the contrary this morning. I know he’s always alert, prepared to fight at any given time. I even know he’s annoyed at something or someone right this second. And I’m not  _ guessing _ all of this. I  _ know _ . I know because I can feel it too. It’s like part of my mind, whatever i’m doing, is always focused on him and how he’s feeling.”

Olivia takes some notes as Harry speaks, nodding her head and obviously still buzzing in trepidation.

“Fascinating.”

“I also feel anxious anytime I’m not in the same room as him.”

“That could be for two reasons. For one, it could mean that Louis himself is anxious when separated from you, so you feel what he feels. It could also be because you aren’t mated, you haven’t marked him yet. Your wolf could be responding badly to not having a claim on him.”

“That makes sense.”

Harry takes a deep breath, a question sitting heavy on his shoulders. He needs to ask what he came here to ask. Only, he’s so scared of the answer.

“The thing is… I think maybe…”

Sensing Harry’s serious mood, Olivia purses her lips.

“What is it?”

“I think maybe Louis doesn’t feel the same way? Is it possible that he’s my soulmate but i’m not his?” 

Harry tries to ignore the pain in his chest as he puts his deepest fear into words.

“No, it’s not.”

“But- ”

“No Harry. It simply isn’t possible. Meeting your soulmate isn’t like falling in love. It’s not even close. You and Louis are very much like two puzzle pieces. And you’re asking me if one puzzle piece could fit into the other without reciprocity. That’s just impossible.”

Harry nods, still unsure. 

“Why would you doubt that?”

“It’s just… Louis is so closed off. I feel like he’s still unsure about staying. If I’m his soulmate, why would he consider going away at all?”

Olivia’s demeanor softens and she puts a hand on Harry’s knee soothingly.

“Harry, I don’t think Louis realizes who you are to him. He might be feeling strongly about you, but my theory is, Louis’ been ignoring his wolf’s needs for too long. You can’t blame him, he had to. I’m pretty sure Louis would have died without an alpha or a pack if he let his wolf take over. His human side is what kept him alive. Only, now there’s a disbalance. His wolf instincts are off. We don’t know half of the things he’s been through, but I’m also fairly certain that it has something to do with how closed off he is. You just need time to pierce through those walls.”

Harry nods, comforted by Olivia’s words.

“Now, Harry, you said Louis hasn’t been sleeping well?”

“No. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t sleep at all last night. He’s exhausted.”

And Louis is. Harry can feel it in his bones. It probably isn’t helping Harry to figure out this whole deal either.

“Is he eating?”

Harry smiles thinking back of the excessive breakfast he’d made that morning.

“We’re working on that.”

“Good. You also said he’s always alert?”

“Yeah. He’s almost always tensed, like he expects something terrible to happen.”

“Harry he needs to relax and get some rest. Not only is It not good for an omega’s wolf to never rest like this but it seems to have an effect on you too now. Since we all depend on you to protect us… Louis isn’t only putting his own health at risk, but the whole pack’s.”

Harry’s eyes widen. He hadn’t thought of it that way. Olivia’s right. 

“How do I get him to trust me, to trust us?”

“He needs to reconcile with his omega wolf. Your presence will help for sure. Louis needs to listen to his wolf’s instincts and stop shutting them down. I wouldn’t overwhelm him with the information that you’re his soulmate just now, but that’s your decision to make.”

“Yeah, I think that’s why I haven’t told him yet. It’s like my wolf knows it’d be too much to take in.”

“Just try reconciling him with small things like a/o embrace, purring, spending time in wolf form, pack cuddles. Even dropping if he trusts you enough could really be beneficial. Try no to make a big deal out of those things either, just let him fall back into pack instincts gradually. It’s also extremely important he feels included even if he tries to isolate himself.”

Harry nods. He’s got his work cut out for him. If there’s anything he’s learned about the omega over the passed days is that Louis is extremely stubborn. Harry knows it won’t be that easy but he’d do anything for his mate. Or, well… soulmate.

\---

Louis. Is. Annoyed. The floral scent is killing his nostrils, so much so that he can’t even tell if Zayn is following them. He was right, the guy is a major pain in the ass and he’s still debating if he wants to stay civil or not. 

To Nick’s defense though, he’s extremely talkative and that’s something Louis can easily turn to his advantage. It’s not even midday and Louis’ learned the names and functions of every member on the council, exactly how impressive their pack military is and, most importantly, he’s learned that the camera system in the hardware store is almost non existent and that they have no alarm whatsoever. Nick was so distracted by the sound of his own voice he was absolutely oblivious when Louis shoved a couple of tools in his pockets as they visited the hardware store.

But now, he’s gotten all the information he could possibly want from Nick and he’s still chewing his ears off and as he’s slowly taking Louis through the gardens Louis seriously considers pushing him in a fountain mid sentence. Instead, Louis takes a deep breath through his mouth and tries to think of an excuse to ditch him without resorting to verbal or physical violence. That’s when he spots a familiar beta on a bench. Reading. Of course.

“And so that’s why they decided on lilies instead of roses. Which talking of roses, did you know th-”

“Well thank you Nick for this lovely tour, but I’m afraid I need to cut it short. I told my friend I would meet her here and I’m already late so.”

“Oh well. I’ll wait for your friend here with you.”

“No need, she’s right there. I’ll see you around.”

Nick goes to protest but Louis doesn’t give him time. He pats him on the shoulder and makes a beeline for Lottie. She’s so absorbed by her book, she doesn’t notice him until Louis grabs her arm gently and makes her stand up. 

“Hey Louis, what’s up?”

Ignoring her question, he puts an arm around her shoulders and starts walking away from the overpowering floral scent. 

“Just keep walking Lottie. We’ve almost made it.”

“What?” Lottie looks back over her shoulder to see what or who Louis is fleeing.

“Don’t look back Lottie or he’ll sense the hesitation. We’re almost safe.”

Lottie laughs. 

“What are you on about?”

Louis looks back. Nick is out of eyesight and his scent is gone. He takes Charlotte into a coffee shop just to be certain. 

“Will you tell me who we were walking away from?”

“Nick.”

“Oh. Yeah he’s annoying.” Charlotte nods in understanding as she dog ears the page she was reading. Louis likes her. She’s not an ass like Nick, but she also says what she thinks which is refreshing from the rest of the pack’s overwhelming kindness. 

They end up grabbing coffee and talking about Lottie’s current book. It’s no surprise to Louis that she’s much more pleasant company than Nick. 

Even though he’s having a good time now, somewhere, in the back of his mind, he thinks of Harry and weirdly feels anxious for him, like the Alpha is distraught and he wants to comfort him.  _ How very omega of me _ . 

As Lottie tries to explain why she thinks poems aren’t the most boring thing in the world like Louis had suggested, he tears up napkin after napkin in tiny little pieces, trying to occupy his hands instead of rushing over to Harry to see if he’s all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, kitten saviours, don't hesitate to tell me what you think! -Xx


	13. Haze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I a weird human for liking Mondays?

Louis punches his pillow and sighs frustratedly. Why is he even bothering with trying to sleep anyway? It’s pointless. 

He’s been working on his boat prototype for the better part of the night. It’s now close to three in the morning and he’s trying to get some rest before dawn. Problem is, this whole journey into the Styles’ territory is bringing up memories he thought he’d successfully buried deep into his mind. Stangely, the way he’s been accepted here has only highlighted how shitty his own pack was and now he’s just tossing and turning, remembering...

_Louis’ buzzing with nerves. His father has finally let him be part of a military meeting, something he’s been asking since he was six. Now five years later, Troy has finally caved. Granted, his mother’s there too along with other omega officials and he’s been told not to intervene in any way at any time. But he’s still part of it. Usually he has to eavesdrop without getting caught. _

_Now his own father, Alpha Tomlinson has invited him, his omega son to assist one of the most important military meetings of the year. He has to stop himself from bouncing on his chair excitedly, instead, forcing his posture to stay still, forcing himself to look as composed and assured as his father always looks, wanting him to be proud. _

_They’ve only been discussing for half an hour and the debate is getting intense, Louis absorbing every word and that’s when his uncle, Vaughan Tomlinson turns to face him, smirking. _

_“Omega, get me a glass of water.” The alpha command is an unnecessary show of power but his uncle has never addressed him differently, loving the way Louis scrambles to his feet, rushing to fulfill the command as fast as possible. _

_Vaughan is a right prick, not bothering to hide the excitement he gets from ordering Louis around and Louis hates it, hates alpha commands with a passion. He’s been trying to resist them, asking Oli and Stan to try it on him as he fights the omega urge to please. He’s been getting better at it. But his friends are eleven years old, like him. Vaughan is four times older and stronger making resisting that much harder. Furthermore, trying to resist the alpha commands seem to only feed his uncle’s excitement._

_And so that’s how the meeting goes. Everytime an interesting debate arises, Vaughan alpha commands Louis to do the most ridiculous of tasks. He’s made to fetch food and drinks for everyone, get a pillow for the elder’s back, adjust the tent’s straps, Vaughan even orders Louis to lace his shoes, smirking maliciously the whole time Louis does so. Louis has never wanted to punch someone has much as he wants to punch his uncle now. He’s missed whole conversations, important ones, because of this. When he sits back on his chair, all he wants now is for the meeting to be over. He doesn’t want to play fetch anymore, completely humiliated. When Vaughan turns to him again, Louis decides he’ll do is best to ignore it this time. Maybe if he can convince his wolf he hasn’t heard it… maybe he can ignore the alpha command. Maybe…_

_“You’ve laced my shoes too tight, do it again.”_

_Louis’ blood is boiling with rage. There’s no way he’s bending over in front of his uncle again. No. But alpha has demanded it. No. He’s not doing it. It’s the omega’s duty to-. Louis shuts his wolf down internally. Surprising himself when he sits up straighter and ignores the command completely. He’s uncle is fuming at the blatant disobedience. He’s about to repeat the command when he’s pulled back into the conversation. The meeting is ending and Louis thinks that’ll be the end of that. His uncle will let it go. Louis is naive. _

_As soon as the meeting is over, Vaughan corners him outside the tent, away from prying eyes…_

Louis shakes his head and gets up, refusing to let his mind wonder to that particular evening. Accepting he might not get any sleep tonight, he rummages through his backpack, trying to find a distraction from his racing thoughts. His hands go straight for Harry’s hoodie and he inhales the comforting scent instantly calming him down. Without thinking, he puts it on, letting the scent engulf him, the reassurance of Harry keeping the undesirable memories at bay. He considers going back to bed, thinking Harry’s scent might be enough to let him sleep peacefully but he’s immediately flooded with images of his uncle, how he pressed himself onto Louis that night. How he trapped his wrists in his hands, how he ordered him to stay silent. 

Louis shudders and hastily leaves his bedroom, walking aimlessly through the maze of the main house.

He ends up in front of a big wooden door on the upper floor. He hasn’t been there yet but, somehow, he knows where that door leads. It smells like rain and sun combined. Harry’s room. No doubt. He hesitates for a second, hand on the doorknob. What is he even doing? Still, slowly, careful not to make any sound, he pushes the door opened, just a crack. Just enough to let him in. Harry is sleeping, breaths even, curls all over the place. The duvet is tangled around him like he’s been tossing and turning too. Louis smiles fondly at that thought without really understanding why.

Louis’ now standing right beside Harry’s sleeping face dumbly, not knowing why he’s been so bold as to enter the Alpha’s bedroom, Harry’s bedroom. Instead of being alert or unnerved, instead of fearing his awakeness, Louis wishes for it. He wishes he could just curl up next to Harry, basking in his scent, comforted and content. 

He wouldn’t do that though, he’d be thrown out of the room for sure, maybe even thrown out of the territory. Entering an Alpha’s room at night without permission is an offense Louis wouldn’t be able to explain. It would certainly cross a line. Intead, he settles for curling up on the floor next to the bed, still engulfed in Harry’s hoodie. The hard floor doesn’t even bother him as he’s lulled by Harry’s reassuring presence. He’ll just take a small nap here, wake up before Harry and leave without him ever realizing he was there in the first place. Yeah. That seems like a good plan.

\---

Harry’s been half awake all night, attuned to Louis’ exhaustion and lack of sleep. At around midnight, Harry had considered going to Louis’ room and demanding to cuddle him until he slept for at least eight hours. He decided against it, his wolf instincts telling him to wait for Louis to come to him. Harry’s now so glad he listened to his wolf. 

He’d been in between dreamland and consciousness when he’d heard his door opening slowly and quiet tentative steps entering the room. The familiarity of the scent undeniable. Louis. Butterflies erupted in Harry’s stomach but he forced himself to keep even breaths, pretending to still be asleep. He wanted to know what Louis was going to do next. He was surprised and a little disappointed when he heard him settle on the hardwood floor. 

Now perched above his bed, Harry’s observing Louis’ curled up figure. His heart skips a beat when he realizes the omega is wearing his sweatshirt. He’d been wondering where he’d put that. How did Louis manage to steal it, that’s a story Harry would be interested in hearing, but that’s neither here nor there. Harry needs to decide what to do now. Does he let Louis sleep on the floor and pretend he didn’t notice? It can’t be comfortable. Surprisingly enough, Louis’ actually sleeping if their bond is anything to go by. Still. He’s so close. Harry bites his lip.

Silently dropping to the floor next to Louis, Harry gently takes him into his arms, careful not to wake him. He pauses, making sure the movement didn’t disturb Louis’ slumber. The boy only turns his nose towards Harry, evidently scenting him. It makes his chest swell almost to the point of hurting. 

Placing him on the bed, Harry wonders if he should sleep on the floor or in bed with Louis. He eventually gives in to his desire to cuddle his soulmate, thinking he’ll deal with the aftermath if need be. He just wants Louis to be comfortable and safe and there’s no better place than in Harry’s arms. If Louis doesn’t see that just yet, as Olivia had said, it’s just a matter of time. And when Louis sighs contentedly, Harry smiles and finally lets himself relax too.

\---

Harry’s been awake for twenty minutes, just observing Louis’ calm sleeping face and smiling like an idiot. He’s so glad Louis’ finally getting some sleep and his wolf is just preening at the fact he’s doing so in his arms. 

His head snaps up as his door is suddenly slammed opened. He frowns, wolf ready to defend his omega, until he recognizes the blond.

“Harry! we need you in the conference room, the council’s -”

Niall is shouting and Louis is stirring at the noise. 

Harry interrupts Niall, half shouting half whispering.

“Niall! keep it down.” 

Niall then seems to finally recognize Louis’ bundled up figure, pressed to Harry’s chest.

“Oh…oh!”

The blond omega steps towards the bed and lowers his voice. 

“Did you finally tell him?”

Harry rolls his eyes. Niall’s been nagging him about the soulmate thing since they’ve known about it.

“No, NIall, I haven’t and I won’t. He needs to realize on his own.”

“Okay. Well that’s the stupidest thing I-”

“Niall. What did you want?”

They’ve had this conversation before and now isn’t really the time and place for a debate on his love life.

“Council meeting.”

Harry sighs, reluctant to leave Louis’ sleeping form just yet.

“Can you handle it Niall? I just want Louis to get more sleep…”

He knows that, as soon as he leaves, Louis is going to wake up again and he’s only been sleeping for three hours tops.

“Sure.” Niall turns to leave but stops himself and turns back around, an apologetic look on his face. 

“Hum- actually… not really. Sorry. It’s just… trouble with the Scott’s pack. I really think you should be there.”

Harry frowns, now concerned for his pack’s safety. They’ve been having more and more issue with their northern border lately.

“Okay, I’m coming. Give me a minute.”

“No problem.” Niall backs away. “But like, it’s an emergency… so.”

“Yeah, I get it Niall, give me a minute.”

“Okay, okay.”

Niall gets out hastily as Harry sighs again. 

As he tries to get up, Louis’ grasp on him tightens. Harry chuckles.

\---

Louis’ body feels heavy as he wakes. He doesn’t want to wake up just yet. His nose is in scent heaven, his body is wrapped in just the right amount of warmth. He rubs his face on the most comfortable pillow he’s ever laid on but than it vibrates. _That’s a weird feature_, he thinks as he awakens a bit more. 

“Hey sleepy head. I’m sorry but I need to get up, you’ll have to let me go I’m afraid.”

When he opens his eyes reluctantly, Louis’ met with a broad chest. Looking up slightly, green amused eyes return his gaze. Realization dawns on him and he lets go hastily. He’s in Harry’s bed. How did he get there? How long did he sleep for? More importantly, he was embracing Harry so tightly, the alpha couldn’t get up! Mortified, Louis blushes furiously, muttering an inaudible apology. Harry giggles.

“Don’t worry about it Lou. I would have cuddled with you longer but I have an emergency meeting to attend to.” 

Louis gapes. The nonchalance in Harry’s voice floors him completely. How can he act normal when they were just cuddled up in his bed? Is Louis dreaming?

Harry gets up and changes. Louis’ focus is pulled to Harry’s tattoos on his chest and arms and his long legs as he puts his jeans on. Louis gulps.

Halfway out the door, Harry turns to Louis, still sitting up in his bed.

“I’ll see you afterwards for breakfast yeah?”

The hope and giddiness in Harry’s eyes evident. Why would Harry be so excited about eating breakfast with Louis?

Louis nods distractedly. “Yeah, okay.” Louis responds, still in a sleepy haze, brain overloaded with unanswered questions. Harry’ smile is wide as he leaves. 

  
As soon as the Alpha’s out the door, Louis lays back on the bed, looking at the high ceiling. What happened just now? Did he just sleep in Harry’s arms? Did Harry not mind at all? He acted so normal. More importantly, it felt right. It felt like they were an old couple, waking up next to each other, going about their day. What’s happening?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are so appreciated, you have no idea!  
Also, thank you for how sweet you all have been, I've even disabled the filter on comments, since I had no use for it! You're all so kind!  
Thank you! -Xx


	14. James Scott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter! :D Success!   
Next update is supposed to be on the 30th of December... now it's the holidays and I'll be a bit busy this week. I'll try really hard to update, but I might not be able to. If I don't update, don't panic! I'll be back after New Year's! :)

“They’re waiting for us at the hospital.” 

Harry stops walking for a second, dread settling in his guts.

“Hospital? What’s going on exactly?”

Harry starts walking again as fast as he can, Niall struggling to meet the Alpha’s larger steps.

“I have no clue. It’s Anthony. Came back from patrol all bloody. Says he has a message from Alpha Scott. Was told to deliver it to you specifically.”

Harry nods, eyebrows furrowed. This can’t be good. He wouldn’t expect anything else from James Scott though, his pack being extremely conservative in every way, a total opposite from the Styles’ pack. Over the years, they’d never even recognized the validity of the council, believing Alpha autocracy is the only acceptable way to lead a pack, anything else is seen as a weakness in their eyes. That in itself has created countless delicate situations over the years. Adding in James Scott’s desire to acquire more territory, their shared border seems to always teeter between peace and war. To put it bluntly, Scott’s pack is the cause of most of Harry’s headaches.

“Anthony…?” The name sounds vaguely familiar but he can’t quite place it.

“Yeah, really young, started patrol duty only a month ago. Don’t know what happened exactly but he looks really shaken. Olivia said he doesn’t have any serious injuries, mostly scratches and bruises.”

“Where’s Zayn?”

Zayn isn’t part of the council but he’s a damn good commander and he has a feeling he might need his experience on this. 

“Still patrolling I guess.” Niall sounds winded, almost jogging in the effort to keep up with Harry.

“He took the night shift? He’s the defense commander for fuck’s sake, he really should stop doing that.”

“You don’t have to tell  _ me _ that. I’ve been trying to put some sense into that beautiful head of his, but he can be stubborn that one… and with everything that’s been happening on the northern border, he wanted to take more night shifts. Just to be sure.”

Once they finally join the rest of the council, Niall’s panting from his half walk half jog. Harry’s more worried than ever as he takes in the scene before him, silence weighing in the small hospital room, everyone gathered around Anthony sitting up on the bed, bandages peeking through his sleeves, hands shaking as he sips on a glass of water. To the untrained eye, Catherine looks as composed as ever but Harry knows her. The slight tightness in her jaw and the subtle tapping of her right foot give her nervousness away. Gregory’s an open book. Arms crossed eyebrows drawn together, tight shoulders, all in a blatant effort to appear tougher than he feels. Allan Styles’ stoic stance and wise gaze are the only solid reassurance Harry can lean on. They all turn to Harry as he enters the room, visibly relieved to see him.

While Niall takes a seat next to Catherine, Harry stays on his feet, standing in beside Anthony who avoids his gaze by looking down at his lap. He looks… ashamed? 

“Hey Anthony. I don’t think we’ve met before.” Harry extends his hand to shake. Anthony takes it with a bit of hesitation. 

“Alpha Styles. It’s an honour to meet you.”

Harry smiles as warmly as he can hoping to unnerve the boy. He sometimes forgets how his status can be intimidating to other werewolves.

“You can call me Harry. Now Anthony, could you tell me what happened?”

Anthony’s shoulders sag, fingers fidgeting as he takes a deep breath. 

“They-they took him. I’m so sorry…I tried to- but I couldn’t… I’m so sorry.”

Anthony sniffs.

Harry’s heart drops, trying to keep his composure.

“Who did they take?”

Anthony shakes his head, a sob on the tip of his lips. Harry takes a look at the council. Everyone’s on the edge of their seat, certainly sharing Harry’s concern.

“Anthony?” Harry prompts.

“They took Zayn.”

Niall gasps audibly. Allan puts a hand on his shoulders and Catherine, a hand on his knee. Even Greg uncrosses his arms and looks at Niall sympathetically. Harry gulps. This is bad. Harry’s demeanor softens as he bends down in front of Anthony to meet his eyes. The boy is undoubtedly overwhelmed, shaken and scared but he still needs to know the details.

“Can you tell us what happened exactly?”

Harry refuses to believe that Zayn is in real danger. He could probably take down ten alphas at once in a fight. Hell, he’s seen him to it in training. There’s just no way. Anthony must be mistaken. The boy takes a deep breath and seems to gain some control back over his emotions. 

“I was patrolling the north-east portion of the border and I saw unusual movement on the other side a little further away so I decided to check it out. As I came closer, I realized that there was a dozen of alpha wolves charging towards our territory. I-I panicked but then I thought... they wouldn’t dare cross without permission, right? I’ve heard how bad that hurts! So I stood my ground and waited for them to come to a stop. Only the closer they became, the faster they were running! Next thing I know I feel an enormous weight colliding with my shoulder and I fall on the ground. I howled for help and tried to run but I- I couldn’t. There were so many of them and…” Anthony shakes his head, eyes closed tightly. 

“Take your time.” As Harry reassures Anthony, he can feel Niall fidgeting beside him, certainly anxious to know what happened to Zayn.

“Zayn must have heard me howling. I heard him growl and the alphas that were on me dispersed. He fought them off. I thought that was it. But they kept growing in numbers…” Anthony’s now looking at Niall through a vale of tears.. “He was trying to defend me, I’m so sorry.” He whispers those words, repeating his apology over and over again as if hoping they’ll erase the pure look of horror on Niall’s face. 

“I still don’t understand how they crossed the border without permission. Are you certain they weren’t rogues?” Catherine interjects, a hand still on Niall’s knee in a show of support.

Anthony shakes his head.

“No. They were affected… they just ignored it. As soon as they crossed they were screaming in pain, but they just pulled through and kept fighting Zayn and I. It was pure chaos. I’ve never…” Anthony shakes his head again. 

Tears pooling in his eyes, Niall’s face distorts in anger.

“How did  _ you _ get away and not Zayn?” 

Anthony’s eyes widen and he swallows audibly. 

“Zayn pushed me away as he was fighting them off. Told me to run. So I did, but they caught me too. Then, James Scott said I had to deliver a message so they let me go. I’m so sorry Niall.”

“James Scott was there?” Anthony’s head snaps towards Gregory who’s spoken for the first time since Harry entered the room.

“Yes. He didn’t fight or crossed, just watched from their side of the border. He said to relay the message only to Alpha Styles.”

“What message?” Harry asks.

“They want Louis. They’ll release Zayn if we deliver him.”

Harry stops breathing, he’s not even sure his heart is still beating. How could they ask such a thing? Why? What could they possibly want with Louis? 

“Did he put a time limit on that?” To Harry’s relief, Allan seems to sense his distress and takes over the questioning. 

Anthony nods, miserable.

“He said we have twenty-four hours. If we haven’t delivered Louis, they’ll kill Zayn.”

Niall breaks down then, anger leaving him suddenly as the tears take over. Harry embraces his friend as he sobs uncontrollably. It’s as if Niall’s previous anger is just passed down to him. All Harry wants to do is charge Scott’s territory with the full force of his military power and kill James Scott with his bare hands.

“Fucking hell! If they kill Zayn, they start an open war! Why would they risk that just for a rogue omega?” Gregory’s eyebrows are knit together as he speaks, he looks as angry as Harry feels.

“They’re bluffing. They wouldn’t.” Catherine keeps her composure, always the level headed one.

“I-I n-need to see Liam.” Niall slips out of the room, tears still falling down his face. 

\---

_ “This is insane, you can’t do this!” _

_ “Watch me.” The composure of Troy Tomlinson as he tears apart everything Louis holds dear in his life is astonishing. Even his mother looks shocked. _

_ “Honey, please think about this. Surely we can work something out. This is-” _

_ The Alpha doesn’t even have to use a commanding voice or say anything at all, his glare is enough to shut his wife’s objections. She turns to Louis with tears in her eyes, defeated. _

_ The frightened omega has never seen such a big crowd before. Almost every wolf of the pack has responded to the Alpha’s call to watch the inhabitual event unfold. They’re all staring as the imposing leader towers over the small werewolf. Normally so rebellious, Louis can’t do anything but shrink under the weight of everybody’s gaze, unshed tears in his eyes.  _

_ “Louis, since the day you gained the ability to talk, you’ve been a disappointment. Not only to your mother and I, but to the entire pack. I can no longer excuse your defiance. You’ve stolen countless times just for the unnatural thrill and pleasure you seem to get out of it. You’ve constantly disobeyed Alpha commands, you’ve taken part in activities omegas should never take part in, you’re a disgrace and a defective omega and you’ve proven that time and time again. You’re an embarrassment to this pack and to me personally. For those reasons, I hereby declare you banned from the Tomlinson pack. You are to leave the territory immediately and never come back.” _

_ Gasps and shocked expressions don’t reach Louis’ conscious mind. He didn’t know banishment physically hurt that bad. As soon as his father makes it official, his chest burns as if a piece of him crumbles completely, he feels like there’s a gaping hole where his heart should be. The pain pins him into place, unable to make a move as he observes his family and friends turn around and leave. _

Louis stares at the ceiling, hand rubbing his chest where a pack’s mark should be. He sighs, exasperated with himself. As soon as Harry had left the room, cold had creeped back into his bones. He didn’t even try to go back to sleep. He wishes his brain would have an on and off switch so he could stop this current shit show of his worst memories. 

A distinctive floral scent approaching the room suddenly makes him jolt out of bed. Fuck. No way. Not a chance. He won’t subject himself to another encounter with Nick if he can help it. Not now. He doesn’t hesitate before opening the window and shifting to his wolf form to jump out. As soon as his feet hit the ground below, he shifts back to his human form. It’s in moments like these he’s grateful for his acute sense of smell. Avoiding the questions around why he was in Harry’s room is a bonus since he can’t even explain it to himself. 

Now would have been a great time to hide his backpack somewhere in the woods, with the council being occupied in a meeting and he’s pretty sure he isn’t being followed. But he’d have to get back into the main house to get it and risk running into Nick so he just walks aimlessly. 

_ Harry’s distressed. Something’s not right.  _ Louis stops walking. His wolf is so agitated it makes Louis’ hands tremble. What the…? He keeps thinking Harry’s distressed. Why would he think that? why would he know that? Louis continues his walk, trying to ignore his insane wolf, but he can’t. All he wants to do is find Harry and make sure he’s all right. He can’t very well barge into a council meeting just to verify Harry’s emotional state though. THat would be insane, right? Right. Besides, he has no clue where their meetings take place. As he walks by the hospital though, his wolf gets more and more rattled. Louis stops at the doors.  _ Harry’s in there _ . He’s sure of it. And distressed. Louis’ eyes widen, fear crushing his chest and any logical restrain he might have had before. Did something happen to Harry? Panicked, Louis enters and puts his nose to work. Harry’s scent is easy to track down...

\---

“I don’t know Harry, we need to think about this.”

“Think about what Greg? About delivering Louis to an angry archaic and barbaric pack of wolves?”

“No but I’m just saying. They’ve threatened to go to war over this. To kill Zayn! This is serious. And Louis is an omega rogue who we’ve only known for a week. The protection of the pack should come first.”

“Louis’ not just some omega rogue, he’s Harry’s soulmate you idiot.”

“Catherine’s right, Gregory. If something happens to Louis, Harry will be greatly affected. He might not be pack right now, but it is only a matter of time.”

Harry’s so grateful for his grandfather right this second.

“Look. All I know is we have a choice to make. Either our best defense commander, a big part of our pack or a rogue that we’ve only just met. Yeah you might be in love and all, but pack comes first. Always has, always will.”

“Greg!” Catherine’s shocked expression would be comical if the situation wasn’t so grave.

“A soulmate’s bond is an extremely complex thing Gregory. We’ve never had to deal with that in our pack before but Harry might never get over this. We need to protect our Alpha too.”

Greg seems floored by the argument Allan’s presented him with. Still Harry’s annoyed that they’re even considering the possibility of complying with James Scott’s demand.

“The fact that Louis is my soulmate shouldn’t even play a role in our discussion. He’s another werewolf and it would be barbaric to just sacrifice him. Besides what would that accomplish? James Scott has been threatening us with an open war for the better part of his ruling anyway. The reason why he has never actually attacked us is evident. We’re stronger. Simple as that. We’ll get Zayn back and Louis stays right here.”

Every member of the council nods, seeming to agree with Harry’s statement although Gregory’s nod is less vigorous. 

\---

Louis’ head spins. Soulmate? Killing Zayn? Deliver Louis to James Scott? What. Is. Going. On? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, kudoing, commenting! You're all amazing <3


	15. Saving Zayn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost couldn't make it this week! But I'm so glad I was able to upload ^.^  
Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

The grass absorbs Louis’ hurried steps on his short cut between the hospital and the main house. From the start, this place was too good for him. Louis didn’t deserve this much care and kindness, still doesn’t. He stayed anyway and stupidly got attached. In a matter of days, Louis managed to put Zayn in danger and distraught the whole pack with his own selfishness and cowardice. Swallowing thickly, he thinks of Niall’s certain worry over his mate. Guilt and shame redden his face while entering the main house. As always, wolves are milling about, puppies playing everywhere, chatter in the kitchen, wolves on top of each other lounging in the living room, watching movies. Louis passes by the domestic scenes and does not dwell on how happy the werewolves in this pack always look. He doesn’t dwell on how everyone clearly belongs there while he, unquestionably, does not. His eyes sting entering his room. _Not his room, a guest room_. Harry’s voice resonates in his mind repeatedly._“Louis is my soulmate”_. The idea is simply laughable. Of course his wolf is craving an Alpha like Harry, kind and tolerant, but still strong and dominant. Of course he’s constantly seeking Harry’s scent, it’s just soothing when his wolf has been denied a pack and an alpha for so long. For the same reason, it’s only logical that his wolf would preen under any kind of attention Harry gives him. Louis’ wolf is undeniably attracted to Harry and it’s probably extremely evident to everyone in the pack already. Even his human side is entranced by him, how he looks, how he treats his pack, how he moves, even the way he smooths his hair with his hand. How big his hands are… Louis coughs and shakes his head, trying to focus on assembling his stuff, gathered around his room.

He can’t deny the pull he feels towards Harry, but soulmates? That would mean Harry feels the same way about him whichis absolutely laughable and frankly, impossible. Harry’s the perfect Alpha, caring but firm, gaining respect from his pack without even having to raise his voice. Now that Louis thinks about It, he’s yet to see Harry use Alpha command. He’s so young too and probably has every omega in the pack crawling at his feet for every little bit of attention they can get. Someone like that would never look at Louis twice. No. If they _are_soulmates, then Harry must hate him. Louis would. How could the worst omega that’s ever lived be bonded to one of the best Alphas? Defiant, rebellious, mischievous, strong headed, he’s everything an omega shouldn’t be. There’s just no doubt that Harry hates his wolf for bonding to Louis. And what’s worse is Louis can’t blame him. Blinking rapidly, trying to lessen the sting behind his eyes, he closes his backpack with a bit of difficulty, hands trembling.

The plan now is simple: get Zayn back and sail to the Eastern Lands. If James Scott kills him, so be it. If he dies in the middle of the ocean, so be it. Louis can’t bring himself to care anymore. Truth is, he’s exhausted. If his wolf took over, he’d probably be dead in a week. He hasn’t really lived for years anyway, hardly holding on to his existence, never really belonging anywhere. Leaving Harry behind might be the nail in the coffin. Unfortunately for him, when you really care for someone, you have to be strong enough to let them go. Staying would be selfish, he’d be a burden to Harry, incapable of helping him lead the pack as an Alpha’s omega should, never really submitting and bringing trouble to the entire pack.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

Hand on the doorknob, backpack into place, a wavering determination on his face, Louis freezes and turns around. Harry’s standing in the doorway, arms crossed… intimidating. Niall’s on his side, eyes puffy and red, Liam cuddling him close and looking just as bad as his omega. Louis feels a pang of guilt in his guts, he clutches the doorknob tighter.

“I’m so sorry Niall. I’m going to rectify this, I promise.”

Niall’s eyebrows furrow. Louis thinks he’ll yell at him. He’d be right to be mad, Louis would be. Instead Niall launches and hugs him so tight it’s hard to breathe.

“You idiot. I’m not mad at you and you don’t have to do shit.”

“You don’t understand Niall, it’s my fault-“

“It’s not. It’s really not.”

Niall pulls away from the hug but keeps his hands on Louis’ shoulders. His puffy red rimmed eyes study him for a while and Louis tries not to squirm.

“You’re still going to do something stupid aren’t you?”

Louis pulls away, gently pushing Niall’s hands off his shoulders.

“I’m going to get Zayn.”

“No. Louis, you’re not doing that.” Harry’s voice is deep and demanding, teetering on the verge of alpha command.

“Harry, listen. I- “

Harry takes a step towards him uncrossing his arms, anger visible on his face.

“No Louis. There’s nothing to listen to. There is simply no way that you’re going to get Zayn back.”

“Harry, I’m a rogue which means I can cross the border without feeling a thing, I know how to stay undetected.” Harry keeps shaking his head from side to side, infuriating Louis. “I know how to track Zayn’s scent down and if anybody knows how to escape a dangerous situation, it’s me. I’m getting Zayn.” His back to the door still, Louis turns the handle, hoping Harry won’t see the movement.

“Louis, do not open this door!”

Silence falls, heavy as a brick. The Alpha command makes Niall whimper and drop to his knees. Even Liam bows his head in a show of submission. Louis freezes having a hard time ignoring the deep voice. He hasn’t struggled against a command like this since he was eleven. The internal debate only lasts for a few seconds. Louis manages to keep his head high and turns around to leave. As he opens the door though, he twists his head to meet Harry’s furious eyes,

“Don’t you _dare_alpha command me.”

Louis doesn’t let Harry respond, closes the door behind him and runs ignoring his omega’s protests at the blatant rebellion, choosing to focus on saving Zayn instead.

\---

Crossing the border is harder than predicted, Alphas and betas patrolling everywhere, probably waiting to see if Louis will show up.

Creating a fire further away for diversion, he crosses a broad river, fighting the strong current and holding his precious backpack over his head. Fortunately, despite their numbers, Scott’s pack is still as stupid as the first time he met them, making it easy to hide from patrols and guards as he makes his way to their headquarters. In no time, the pompously enormous manor stands before him, every entrance heavily guarded. As expected, Louis’ nose picks up Zayn’s distinctive scent amidst other less familiar ones. He also picks up James Scott’s scent, an arrogant lavender and rose tinted stench. Louis rolls his eyes, _floral scents are the worse_. Avoiding the guards at the doors, he spots an opened window on the second floor. Bricks on the wall offer him decent climbing holds and he doesn’t hesitate before making his way up. The sound of footsteps underneath makes him freeze for a second. Guards. Just around the corner, probably patrolling the manor’s walls. Maybe Louis underestimated Scott’s pack. “Fuck”. The swear escapes his lips in a whisper. Louis climbs faster, ignoring the vertiginous emptiness between him and the floor. He’s just getting over the edge of the window when he hears the guard’s voices getting louder, right below him. He can only hope they haven’t spotted him, but doesn’t wait to find out, examining the bedroom he’s gotten into instead.

There’s an adjoined bathroom where the shower is running. The door to the corridor is wide opened, Zayn’s scent is coming from below. The basement maybe. He quickly and silently hides behind the wall next to the door. There aren’t nearly as many werewolves living in headquarters here as there are in the Styles pack. Louis can even count the number of different scents he can pick up. With Zayn, there aren’t more than six. Judging his path clear, he doesn’t wait longer before crossing the corridor to the narrow staircase. Dodging other werewolves’ presence is surprisingly easy. It’s evident nobody expects him to be here. Passing by the kitchen, he even takes the time to steal a cookie from a jar as James Scott and his family, Louis assumes from the mingling scents, eat at the dining table in the next room.

It’s almost too easy when he gets to the small cell Zayn’s currently sleeping in. The bruises littering his body are visible and profuse. Louis’ heart clenches with guilt. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for his stay at the Styles pack. As Louis approaches the cell, Zayn stirs awake.

“Mornin’ Zayn. Cookie?”

At the sound, Zayn jolts up, wincing and grabbing his sides right after. His eyes widen when he sees Louis on the other side of the bars.

“Louis? What the hell are you doing here?”

Seemingly forgetting about the pain on his sides, he gets up hurriedly, standing right in front of Louis.

“Are you completely insane?”

“Nice to see you too buddy…”

“You really shouldn’t be here. It’s exactly what that asshole wants.”

“Well, tough. I’m here and I’m getting you out. Now take the cookie and tell me where they keep the keys.”

Zayn opens his mouth and closes it, eyebrows furrowed as if to argue. After rubbing his face with his hands, Zayn nods, resigned. He takes the cookie from Louis’ outstretched hand, biting into it gratefully.

“Zayn, the keys?”

“Right. They’re on the guards. On their belts.”

Louis sighs, frustrated and examines the lock. It isn’t too complicated. Picking it would be easier than stealing from a guard. He fumbles in his bag under Zayn’s scrutinizing gaze and retrieves a set of small tension wrenches he’s used countless times to get out of difficult situations like these. Zayn’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise while Louis expertly gets to work, choosing the right wrench and inserting it gently in the key hole. It doesn’t take too long before they hear a satisfying click.

“I have so many questions right now.”

The impressed stare Zayn is giving him quickly makes Louis uncomfortable.

“Escape now, questions later?”

Zayn nods and Louis’ glad he won’t be there to actually answer questions since he plans on making a beeline for the shore happy to forgo goodbyes as soon as Zayn is out of trouble.

Louis leads the way into the house, Zayn following closely. They’ve made it to a window on the first floor when Louis smells it. Obnoxious lavender.

“Go first. We have to be quick, just run to the forest, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Louis?”

“Go!”

To Louis’ relief, Zayn doesn’t hesitate too long and jumps on the exact moment heavy steps resonate behind him.

“I must say, I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to deliver yourself to me that easy.”

The bulky hands of a guard grab Louis’ arms and turn him around. Sure enough James Scott’s standing right there, smiling giddily. Louis swallows and licks his suddenly very dry lips. He’s fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, kudos and comments are always so nice to receive after uploading a story, so don't hesitate! :)


	16. The bribe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the comments on the last chapter, you guys are so kind, it's insane! <3  
I'm having so much fun writing this, I just hope you enjoy the story just as much! -Xx

“Don’t you _dare _alpha command me.”

Harry stands in total shock as Louis slams the door behind him. He’s not proud of using alpha command on his soulmate, but Louis can be so infuriatingly stubborn. Now though, he’s something else, blatantly ignoring the alpha voice when even Niall is still recovering from it. How? Harry needs to sit him down and make him answer every questions he has because they’re starting to pile up.

He also needs to get Louis back here before he gets himself killed. Finally swinging into action, he sprints for the door, right behind Louis. He’s surprised when both Niall and Liam yank him back.

“What the – Let me go!”

Turning around, he tries to push Niall and Liam off but Niall’s whimper make him stop abruptly.

“Niall?”

“Please Harry, I’m begging you. Let him get Zayn back. Please.”

Harry’s eyes widen. He looks at Liam questioningly only to be met with puppy eyes holding a similar expression to Niall’s.

“You can’t be serious.” Harry deflates, conflicted. They can’t possibly consider this.

“Harry we’re begging you. Louis’ right, he’s probably the most qualified to get Zayn back. He can trace his scent, he can pass the border easily. And it’s better to be subtle about it, right? We don’t want to barge in with all our military forces, we’d declare open war.” Liam’s voice is shaky. Liam’s voice is never shaky. Inhaling deeply, hands on his hips, Harry shakes his head and looks at the closed door. He can feel Louis’ nervousness. But he can also feel his determination.

Harry can’t believe he’s actually considering this.

\---

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. _That’s all that goes through Louis’s mind as two extremely muscular and tall alpha guards forcibly lead him down the hallway. James Scott can’t seem to shut up, going on and on about how easy it was to capture him. In only five minutes, Louis’ rolled his eyes more times than he can count. He doesn’t think he’s ever met such an insufferable Alpha.

“I thought I’d have some fun with Zayn, I really didn’t think Harry would be dumb enough to send you!”

Tuning out the Alpha’s ramblings, Louis eyes a key dangling from one of the guard’s belt and smirks.

Struggling against the bulky guards is stupid. Dumb. Suicidal. Moronic. Their hands are almost bigger than Louis’ arms for fuck’s sake. But Louis’ never been the smartest and always liked a good fight. Even as unequal as this one.

Digging his heels in, he jerks his body back, trying to get out of the guards tight grip. He fights dirty, biting, clawing and kicking. A punch in the stomach leaves him breathless but gives him an excuse to fall on the ground and grip one of the guards belts as he does so. Punching one of the guards in the balls and elbowing the other behind him gives him just enough time to detach the key and swiftly hide it in his right shoe. Hands and knees on the floor, he tries to catch his breath back. Not leaving him time to do so, one of the guards grab him by the collar, effectively pulling Louis up on his feet. He should have predicted the blow to his face but it still catches him by surprise, almost knocking him unconscious. The fight doesn’t even last ten seconds.

“You’re a feisty one aren’t you?” James Scott’s eyes are sparkling with glee, obviously amused. Louis tries not to smirk in satisfaction as the guards pick him up from the floor, exaggerating the state of his condition by supporting almost all of his weight on the guards as they continue their descent to the basement. His right cheek, jaw and eye feel like they’ve been hit by a bus and he has trouble seeing as he’s pushed into the cell Zayn was in just minutes ago. It was worth it though. To Louis’ annoyance, James Scott doesn’t leave. He apparently has even more to say. He stifles a grown.

“You know I hadn’t made the connection immediately when we first met but the name Tomlinson rang a bell. Your father is Alpha Tomlinson, isn’t he?”

James Scott smiles as if he discovered some deep unknown secret. Louis only blinks, unimpressed and shrugs. How is this relevant?

“I know him well… he’s a… fierce negotiator.”

_What the hell is he on about now?_

“He’s holding on to quite a big territory for such a small pack. I’ve wanted to help him out and unload him of his responsibility a little, but he’s a very proud werewolf and never accepts my generous help.”

_That’s one way of saying you want to invade the Tomlinson’s territory._Louis arches an eyebrow and stifle a wince at the sharp pain. That jab really must have done some damage.

“Cry me a fucking river.” Louis mumbles.

He is done with the conversation already. If they want to kill him, they should do it and stop talking. James Scott’s eyes darken and his traits tighten. Apparently, he’s done with small talk too.

“I bet your father will be willing to hear me out if I threaten to kill his only son.” The Alpha smirks and Louis’ eyebrows shoot up in surprise right before he bursts into laughter. His face hurts but he doesn’t care. Alpha Scott wants to threaten his father with Louis’ life! Someone he hasn’t seen in nine years, who’s banned him. It’s absolutely hilarious. James Scott’s smile disappears, clearly unhappy with Louis’ reaction.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s so…? I’m a rogue! He _banned_me. He doesn’t give a fuck if I live or die!”

“Maybe he banned you, but he didn’t kill you, did he?”

“You’re insane.” And Louis can’t stop laughing.

\---

“He’s tough. Tougher than most of my soldiers.” Gregory’s tap on his shoulder might be the biggest gesture of affection Gregory has ever shown Harry in all the years they’ve known each other. Harry nods and tries to relax his features, not wanting to alarm the contingent behind him. They’re a couple of miles away from the border, ready to deploy if Louis takes too long. He’d agreed to let Louis try and get Zayn back but had gotten a rescue plan in action right away. He also had to fight with Niall for him to stay at the main house, he’d wanted to come to the border with the troops. Harry had to remind him he couldn’t fight for shit and he’d end up being a liability. Liam’s the one who made him see reason in the end. Promising he’d get Zayn back no matter what.

Harry understood the feeling pretty well. If it were up to Harry alone, they’d be barging in already, but he has to think of the pack first. An open war with their neighbor wouldn’t be good for anyone. He’ll do almost anything to avoid that. Almost. He wouldn’t say it out loud but the safety of Louis easily trumps the safety of each and every one of his pack members. It’s scary to think, it’s selfish and wrong, but he can’t help it. 

They could cut the tension with a knife, silence laying heavy on the alert werewolves. When a distinctive howl breaks abruptly through it, every head snaps to the sound in unison. Zayn. Liam’s breaking from the formation instantly.

“Stay here, keep the formation.” Gregory grunts his agreement and Harry’s on Liam’s heels in a second, both running towards Zayn’s howl and echoing it, letting him know help is on the way.

Zayn’s crossed the border once they get to him, two alphas are growling threateningly on the other side. To Harry’s satisfaction, once they recognize Alpha Styles presence, they cower away and retreat hastily, scared.

As Liam hugs and kisses Zayn to the point asphyxiation, Harry looks around, hoping Louis is near. His heart tightens.

“Where’s Louis?”

Liam still in his arms, Zayn looks wide eyed at Harry and shakes his head. Harry swallows.

“Zayn, where is he?”

“Scott’s headquarters. I thought he was behind me but. He most have gotten caught.”

Harry closes his eyes trying to right the sudden dizziness that’s taking over him. It’s then that he feels it. Pain. His jaw, his cheek, his eye, one side of his face entirely. He’s breathless. Louis’ in pain. He’s been hurt.

Harry sees red. Leaving Liam and Zayn behind, he runs back to his troops.

“If I’m not back in an hour...” As soon as Gregory nods his understanding, Harry morphs into his wolf form and runs towards Scott’s headquarters. He’s never been there and shouldn’t know the way. But his wolf knows where Louis is. That’s enough. As soon as he crosses the border it feels like his head is about to explode. The pain is excruciating. Growling loudly, he pushes through, knowing the pain is going to subside as he goes deeper into the territory.

This defense mechanism has been put into place by a witch in the twentieth century in hopes of preventing wars between packs. She’d put a spell on every border of the country. Any werewolf crossing a territory without the permission of the Alpha’s pack would suffer great pain. She hadn’t taken into account rogues, which made the banished wolves dangerous and unpredictable. Since the curse was mainly applied to borders, once a wolf has crossed, the spell dissipates and the pain subsides almost totally. Harry’s grateful for that as he already feels the pressure in his head relief a bit. He’s so anxious to get to Louis, it doesn’t take him more than fifteen minutes to run the fifty miles path into the forest to Scott’s headquarters. He stays in wolf form as he approaches the main house from the back. He can feel Louis in there. He can hear him. He can hear him? Sounds like he’s laughing…

\---

“Stop laughing!”

“Sorry…” Louis coughs to hide his smile not very effectively. “Right. Sorry. I’m serious now.”

James Scott rolls his eyes.

“You’re extremely irritating, you know that?”

Louis smiles, ignoring the hurt in his jaw.

“It’s why I got banned. By my father.”

James Scott shrugs.

“I bet he doesn’t hate you as much as you think.”

Louis snorts.

“When I was eight, I told him I wanted to travel, he told me if I ever stepped foot outside the territory, I’d better not show my face again. When I told him my uncle, his brother, raped me during my first heat, he laughed. Told me to get over myself. When he caught me stealing suppressants to avoid another heat, he sentenced me to public whipping. I’m telling you, Alpha Tomlinson wants nothing to do with me.”

For a moment, it feels like they’re having a stare contest as James Scott tries to know if Louis’ telling the truth.

“Well, if it turn out be true, I’ll just kill you.”

Louis doesn’t break eye contact and James Scott grins before turning away and finally, finally, leaving with the two guards in tow. Louis swallows. He has to get out of here now.

As he goes for the key in his shoe, he’s startled by a tap at a small window on the other side of the room. He gapes as a magnificent white wolf breaks open the window and winces as the broken glass echoes in the empty room. Louis’ surprised to see him fitting threw it. He’s also floored when he recognizes the scent and well, the white wolf is easy to recognize as well.

“Harry? What the hell?”

He’s not even totally shifted yet when Harry starts to chew Louis’ ears off.

“You insane infuriating little omega wolf. Honestly, Louis! Never ever pull something like this ever again! You had me so fucking worried! I cannot believe you!”

Harry is still renting when Louis passes him the key to the cell threw the bars. He’s still venting as he turns the key in the lock and frees Louis. His voice softens though when he pulls Louis closely into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Seriously Louis promise me you’ll never put yourself in danger like this ever again. I can’t take it. You’re too important. Promise me.”

Louis squeezes back just as tightly and swallows the lump in his throat, trying to clear his voice.

“Promise.” It comes out barely a whisper and Louis wonders if Harry even heard him. To Louis’ dismay, Harry breaks the hug.

“Let’s get out of here.” Louis nods. He can agree with that but how the hell is he going to sneak to the shore now?


	17. Loup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouf, almost didn't make it! I worked overtime and had so much editing to do! Anyway, sorry if it isn't Monday for you anymore!  
As always, thank you for reading! Thank you for your sweet comments and kudos you have no idea how much I appreciate it! -Xx

Already shifted to their wolf form, a mile away from Scott’ headquarters, Louis hears distant footsteps and heavy breaths closing in. Werewolves are catching up. A thrill goes through Louis’ spine, adrenaline kicking in. Hurrying his steps and dodging a low branch, he makes sure Harry’s white wolf stays by his side. Instinctively, he goes for the same path he’d taken to rescue Zayn, but he senses Harry pulling him further west. A simple nod, an eye movement and they both take the same sharp turn, effectively losing their pursuers for a moment. He’s amazed by how in tuned his wolf is to Harry’s. A little more and they’d be reading each other’s minds. He’s never experienced that kind of intimate synchronicity before. He tries to contain his wolf’s excitement, tries not to feed this irrational hope that Harry would be happy with him as a mate. Sure he’d seemed worried about Louis, relieved to see him even, but that’s most certainly Harry being his kind usual self. Even if he felt anything for Louis, that’s not his choice. It’s this stupid soulmate thing. Then again, Harry’s wolf is giving him those looks, deep and lively, sometimes concerned, making sure Louis’ following and it’s just… confusing.

As one of Scott’s betas approaches closer behind them, Harry puts himself between Louis and the other wolf. It’s absolutely unnecessary since they’re both faster and more agile than the other wolf, but the small gesture still spreads warmth in Louis’ heart. As they approach the border, Louis’ eyes widen. There, just meters away, endless rows of armored werewolves are standing like solid pillars. Ahead of them, a buff werewolf in a solemn uniform is standing just as still. An emotionless statue. As they come into sight however, there’s a slight relief of the werewolf’s shoulders. Shifting back to their human forms, Louis’ mouth hangs opened as he takes in the amount of soldiers before him. He’s traveled through a lot of land, he’s never seen such a force deployed before. He’s glad to see Zayn, looking all right all things considered although Liam’s apparently helping him stand upright, an arm wrapped firmly around his waist.

“The hour is almost up. We were preparing to charge.”

_Preparing to charge?_

The werewolf’s stare is almost accusatory, Harry only smiles and shrugs, unbothered.

“Sorry Greg, headquarters was further away than I thought it would be.”

Guilt. Guilt overpowers everything else and that’s all Louis can feel the whole way back. It’s only now hitting him. Harry risked so much just to get Louis back. He could have gotten killed. Soldiers could have lost their lives. They could have started a war. Harry was prepared to do that. Just to get Louis back. It’s insane.

And not okay. Louis isn’t worth it. He can’t believe Harry isn’t seeing that. As Alpha, he should put the pack first. Always. Not Louis. Never Louis. He has to leave. Blinking doesn’t make the sting behind his eyes go away. Swallowing doesn’t make the lump in his throat disappear.

As soon as they enter the main house, Louis is ready to bolt to his bedroom, open his window and escape to the shore, unnoticed. He has to relief Harry of this insanity. He has to release the Styles pack of Louis. It’s the right thing to do.

“And where do you think you’re going now?”

A gentle hand on Louis’ arm, Harry’s blocking his way up the stairs.

“I… hum. My room?”

“Louis. We need to talk.”

What good is talking when they both know he has to leave? He can’t do goodbyes, he’s shit at those, it’ll only hurt more.

“Harry…”

“Not negotiable. Come on.”

Harry leads him to his office.

“There. We won’t be bothered.” After closing the door, he sits beside Louis on the couch.

Harry sighs and Louis’ throat tightens. He’s so scared he’ll get thrown out. He knows he has to leave but he just doesn’t want Harry to tell him to leave. It’s stupid. The result is the same but he just prefers it to be his decision.

“Where to even begin?”

Louis decides to get this over with as fast as possible.

“I know you think we’re soulmates and I know you probably despise this whole thing and I understand Harry. I’m not good for you, I’m not good for your pack either.”

“Louis – “

“I understand if you want me to leave. It’s fine really.”

“Louis slow down a sec –“

“No Harry I don’t want to drag this for longer than needed. If it’s okay with you I’d like to sleep here tonight and I’ll go tomorrow, I promise. I just don’t want to travel at night. But I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow morning, first thing.”  
“Louis! Will you shut up for a second! Jesus! How could you think that’s what I want?”

Louis’ head snaps up, meeting Harry’s eyes.

“What?”

“I’ll never ask you to leave Louis! It’s never going to be that! Stop thinking that please.” Seeing Louis’ genuine surprise, Harry softens his voice, “You’re breaking my heart Lou.”

“I- but – you…”

“Louis, I know this whole soulmate thing is overwhelming for you, I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to have to ignore your wolf instincts just to survive. But please believe me when I tell you I care for you deeply. I want you to stay here. I want you to be part of the pack. And you will be if you want to. The council knows you’re my soulmate and they’re willing to set a date for your initiation. I want to do this right so I’ll ask for your patience on this. And your trust. Please Louis just trust me.”

Eyes swimming in a watery veil, Louis shakes his head slightly.

“But I’m-“ _Not good_.

“You are. You’re good Louis.”

How did Harry just…?

“You’ve just saved Zayn’s life, putting your own at risk.”

“But I put everyone at risk. I put your life at risk.”

Harry shakes his head and brings Louis into his arms. Louis blinks, letting tears fall as he returns the hug.

“You’re good Louis. You’ll just have to trust me on this.”

Harry’s wrong. He’s not seeing clearly. Louis wishes he could just take the Alpha’s word for it. Without thinking about it, he turns his nose in Harry’s neck, the scent of rain engulfing him, soothing him. He sighs as his mind starts to float, body going lax against Harry.

“Lou?”

“Mmm?” Louis has lost the ability to articulate words. He’s wrapped in cotton and he’s just so relaxed. But then Harry breaks the embrace, hands on Louis’ shoulders.

“Louis? Lou, you’re dropping, come back to me, love.” Harry’s shaking him gently and Louis blinks rapidly. As he comes back to himself, his face heats up in embarrassment, glad Harry didn’t let him drop fully. That would have been mortifying.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay Louis. You can trust me, I’d be happy to take care of you if you wanted to drop again.”

Louis frowns, unable to wrap his head around that. How could Harry be happy to take care of him like that? An omega dropping is useless and weak. Louis would never impose that on Harry.

“I stopped you ‘cause you need to eat.”

_Right. _

“It’s fine Harry, I’m not-“

“You’re hungry Lou, I know you are. Come on.”

Starving would be a better word for it. How Harry would know that is beyond him. Still, it _would_be smart to eat something before he leaves, although he isn’t sure if he wants to leave anymore. Mind racing, he follows Harry and doesn’t protest. Distracted, he even lets Harry manhandle him, placing him on the kitchen island, legs dangling over it. It’s not long before the fridge’s entire contents and an impressive variety of pots and pans end up all over the counter.

“You’re a bit extra when it comes to food aren’t you?” Impressed at the Alpha’s zeal, Louis knows he has a stupid grin plastered on his face but he can’t shake it off. He wants to let his wolf have this moment and stop debating, stop fighting his instincts so much. It’s exhausting. Louis’ exhausted. The Alpha turns towards Louis, standing in between his legs, leaning closer to the omega, hands on either side of Louis.

“Only for you, Lou.”

Harry’s forest eyes glow as he shows off his dimples in a perfect smile. Louis’ intuitively pulled closer to him and all he wants to do in this moment is to kiss Harry. Judging by the way Harry’s gaze keeps going back and forth between Louis’ lips and his eyes, the feeling seems mutual. They’re only inches apart.

“Lou[p] is French for wolf…” Louis whispers. It’s a really stupid observation. But Louis’ mind isn’t working so well when his face is so close to Harry’s apparently. _And fuck it._Tonight, Louis will be selfish. He’ll allow his wolf to do as he pleases for just one night. Tomorrow, he’ll do the right thing, tonight though… tonight he’ll let his wolf take over just a little bit.

“I didn’t know tha-“

Louis closes the space between them. The kiss starts off sweet, Harry’s smiling into it which makes Louis smile too. They break apart seconds after only to reunite their lips again, both a little more demanding. Harry moves closer, one hand on Louis’ cheek, the other on his neck. Louis’ fingers grip Harry’s shirt just above his waist. When a moan escapes Louis’ throat, Harry growls and deepens the kiss. Wrapping his legs around Harry’s waist, Louis forgets everything else but the way their bodies are pressed together, the way they just fit, the way he knows exactly how turned on Harry is, the way Harry seems to know exactly how to hold Louis. It’s easy but passionate. Like rediscovering someone you already know. In this moment, Louis doesn’t doubt that they’re soulmates. There just isn’t another possible explanation for this kind of connection. As they break apart reluctantly, Louis wonders how the hell he’s supposed to leave now. Harry’s blinding smile kills the thought instantly and he tosses the problem to his future self. He goes to kiss Harry again but the Alpha just laughs and pulls away, Louis frowns.

“Stop distracting me. You have to eat.”

The whine Louis lets out is pathetic. He blames his wolf.

_But I’m not hungry anymore… not for food._He doesn’t dare say that out loud. He really should stop his wolf from going too far.

Covering Louis’ smirk with a small peck Harry promptly turns around and starts cooking again.

Harry’s broad back slaving over a stove is a consoling sight.

\---

Harry’s in heaven. There’s no other way to describe it. Louis’ petite curved body is warm against his chest as they’re lounging with other pack members in front of a movie. Louis fell asleep almost immediately after curling himself against Harry. You’d have told him that’s what he’d be doing hours ago he wouldn’t have believed it. He’s just so happy Louis’ finally listening to his wolf’s instincts. Zayn, Niall and Liam are all cuddled up too and it makes his heart swell. Kissing Louis earlier was an outer body experience. The fact that Louis initiated it made it even better. Relief doesn’t come close to expressing how he feels. Louis’ safe in his arms right now and it sooths every part of him.

He’s still worried about Louis. He’s got walls around him so thick they seem unbreakable. Harry knows it’ll be hard to get Louis to trust him. He’s heard him talk about his father and how he got treated in his pack. He had no idea Louis’ last name was Tomlinson. He had no idea his father was the Alpha. It hurts to think Louis was banned by his own father. He doesn’t even want to let himself think of Louis’ uncle either. The omega’s body weighing on his right now is the only thing stopping him from hunting that bastard down.

He’s lost in thought, not really paying attention to the movie when he feels a vibration against his chest. Louis’ breathing softly and Harry brushes a strand of hair out of his face. He seems so calm and content. The vibrations get more intense and Harry slowly comprehends what’s happening.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard an omega purr so loud before.” Nick eventually says, sprawled on a nearby couch.

“Is that what it is? I thought there was an earthquake.” Niall giggles at his own joke.

Unperturbed, Harry smiles down at Louis’ sleeping blissful expression. The vibration reverbs through his whole body and he can’t stop grinning. He can’t wait to tell Olivia about Louis’ progress in just one night.

“He’s so fucking adorable” Harry’s head snaps at that and a low growl forms in his chest warning Nick to back off. The latter arches an eyebrow, unimpressed, but lifts his hands up in surrender.

“I was just saying… jeez…”


	18. Lavender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kitten saviours! :)  
I want to thank you again for the amazing support you guys have given this story! It means a lot! -Xx

Louis stifles a groan as Olivia probs his bruised cheek. Every time he winces, the crease between Harry’s eyebrows deepens. Louis doesn’t like seeing him so worried and jittery, it unnerves him.

Olivia rolls her chair back and takes off her gloves. Louis relaxes, dangling his legs from his perch on the bed.

“It’s not healing very fast.”

“Don’t worry about it Oliv’. I’ve always been a little slower when it comes to healing. But I always heal eventually.” He gives her a reassuring smile, as much for her as for Harry, standing right behind her.

Biting her lip, the doctor doesn’t seem too convinced.

“Still. A bruise like that should have healed in four to six hours. It’s been what? Twenty four hours? It’s as if… you’re healing like a human.”

“Really Oliv’ I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m going to be just fine. I’ve had way worse.”

Louis shrugs and realizes that his statement didn’t ease the tension in Harry’s demeanor but rather aggravated it.

“Is your leg still bothering you?”

Louis’ eyes flick to Harry for a second.

“Hum. No not really.”

“Could I have a look at it?”

Again, Louis can’t stop his gaze from turning to Harry who’s unnaturally static, bottom lip pinched between his index and his thumb. It’s more sexy than it should be. And Louis is gaping a little and he should probably focus on something else than on how much he thinks Harry’s hot. His gaze flicks back to Olivia. In truth, his leg has been giving him some trouble. He knows as a werewolf he should heal way faster than he is, but he’s also gotten used to the slow process. He’s not dumb, he’s very aware that this is a sign of neglect, of an omega who hasn’t gotten the proper care but, honestly, at this point, he doesn’t even _know_ what “having the proper care” feels like. He’s used to it, but he’d prefer if Harry wouldn’t know about it. Louis is just so weak. He wishes he wasn’t, but he is. He almost dropped for no reason yesterday for fuck’s sake! Harry doesn’t need another reason to confirm how fragile Louis is. What if he comes to the conclusion that Louis is in fact not worth his attention?

“Louis?” Harry’s stature has grown even more concerned if that’s even possible. Louis’ been hesitating for too long and now they’ll make a bigger deal out of it than they should. Louis sighs. In lieu of an answer and lifts his trousers over his calf and lets Olivia take off the bandage he’d put on the damage himself. The red gash created by lacerated nails isn’t too pretty to look at. Harry gasps and Olivia’s lips tighten.

Harry takes a step forward.

“Lou… It must hurt, you should have said something.”

“I’m fine Harry. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

Harry rolls his eyes and shakes his head slightly. Louis bites his lip and looks down at his lap, ashamed. Harry turns to Olivia.

“I don’t understand. He purred last night, shouldn’t that have helped? At least a little?”

Louis’ head snaps up. _What?_

“What? I didn’t purr! I don’t purr…”

Harry’s smile is crooked. _Oh god… Did he really… purr?_

“You did Lou.”

“I-that’s not-you’re probably confused Harry. I’m telling you, I don’t purr.”

“Lou, I’m not confused. You purred pretty loudly. It was hard to miss honestly.”

Louis’ searching for any signs of disgust in Harry’s face, in his demeanor but he’s just looking at him with a small smile. Is he mocking him? Louis is absolutely mortified. His face is burning and he’s probably redder than a tomato.

“You don’t have to be ashamed Louis. Purring is very natural for an omega. Especially if you’re hurt. It helps you get better.”

_Helps me get better?_ Louis doubts that. He’s never purred. He’s never dropped. And now, in the same night, he’s done both. Well he hasn’t really dropped but he would have if Harry didn’t stop him. Point is, he’s never done those weak omega stuff and he’s always been proud of that.

“I’ve never done that before.”

He feels like he should justify himself to Harry so that he doesn’t think of him as a defenceless omega.

“You’ve never purred before?” Harry’s shocked expression adds to Louis’ discomfort. He doesn’t know what’s bad anymore. Is it that he purred at all or that he never did before? Or both? Louis’ so confused now.

“No. Not that I know of. Is that… weird?”

Of course it’s weird. _God_. Louis is such a freak.

“No. It’s not. Omegas need to feel safe in order to act upon their self-soothing instincts. Considering the circumstances, all of this isn’t very surprising. Maybe you never felt safe enough?”

Louis swallows. He nods distractedly, unsure if he’s agreeing with Olivia or just expressing his understanding. Olivia’s words turn in his head. Right. Self-soothing instincts. Whatever that means.

\---

Louis’ supposed to be ‘resting’. Olivia had almost alpha commanded him to sleep. Which wouldn’t have worked anyway. So he’s lying on a hospital bed, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling and puffing in frustration every two seconds. In truth, resting would be way easier if Harry would have stayed. As much as he’d hate to admit it, Harry’s presence never fails to put his omega at ease. But he had Alpha things to do and Louis wouldn’t have _asked _him. He’d never embarrass himself like that. Only now he kind of wished he did. Would Harry have stayed if he’d asked?

“Hey, how’s the patient?”

Louis jumps, head snapping to the door, eyes wide. He was so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t heard the door open. Weak. Again. This place is turning him soft.

It’s Nick. Of course it is. Nick leaning on the door frame ‘cause apparently that’s the only way he can stand: always leaning on things. Nick with his usual dumb smirk. Nick in… scrubs? Louis’ head turns back to the ceiling as Nick closes the door behind him and approaches the bed, Louis tries not to show how fast his heart is beating. He doesn’t like Nick and he certainly isn’t keen on being in an enclosed room alone with him.

“You a doctor or something?” Nick doesn’t seem phased by Louis’ closed off demeanor or the fact that he’s speaking to the roof.

“Yes. I am. I was helping Olivia with a patient and she told me you were resting in here.”

“So you decided to bother me while I’m resting? Some great doctor you are.”

“You caught me!”

Louis isn’t joking but Nick laughs. It’s extremely irritating.

“Honestly though… I wanted to see you. To be fair, you didn’t really seem like you were resting when I came in.”

_God, _Nick’s smell is just… too much. Louis swallows and tries to breathe with his mouth.

“I am very relaxed thank you for your concern.”

Nick snorts.

“I can see that. Come on, Louis you’re all tensed. Maybe I can help you out.”

Nick extends a hand on Louis’ knee, tall frame hovering over him.

“Just relax Louis”

Nick puts his other hand on Louis’ shoulder. Louis doesn’t budge from his stance. He should push the alpha off but he feels paralyzed. What is that smell? He can’t put his finger on it. Rose? Geranium? Lilac? Definitely a flower.

Nick forces Louis to uncross his arms, finding no resistance.

_Lavender. It’s lavender._

Nick is moving closer. There’s a hand on Louis’ cheek, another on his waist.

“There you go, Louis… relax.”

_“Relax and stop fighting.”_

_Scream caught in his throat, Louis stays still, tears fall down his cheeks. He wants to scream, push him off. He can’t. He can’t disobey. Alpha said not to scream. Alpha said to stay still. Alpha said to relax._

“I’m going to make you feel good. Just relax for me.”

_Lavender. It’s everywhere now._

_His uncles hands are everywhere. He squeezes his eyes shut. It’s worse. He can smell more. He can feel more. He opens his eyes again. His uncle is hovering over him, touching him. Louis can’t move._

“Louis? Will you just- Stop freaking out! Louis?”

_He wants to scream but alpha told him not to. He has to. Fuck alpha commands. Come on, Louis push him off! No! He commanded you to stay still. Be a good boy. He cries silently as he fights his omega. He’s trying to push him, to punch him but his omega is keeping him still. Silent. Powerless. Weak. His omega is weak._

“Lou!”

_Lou?_

_He isn’t in his body anymore. He sees himself from above. Sees his uncle pounding into a strange body. It isn’t his. It can’t be his._

_Where is he?_

“Louis, love, I’m here. You’re safe you’re okay.”

_Love? His uncle doesn’t call him love. It’s not right._

It smells like rain. It smells like forest after the rain.

“Harry?”

“Yes Lou, it’s me.”

Harry’s arms are hugging him to his chest. Louis’ sobbing. Why is he sobbing? And why can’t he stop?

“You’re safe Lou. You’re safe. Let it out. You’re okay.”


	19. After the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I had to write something for a seminar that I'm taking and I prioritized this story instead... I'm going to hell. :D Can't wait. 
> 
> Also! Thank you so so much for the comments and the kudos!! I don't reply to every single comment 'cause I think that would become a bit annoying for readers, but, honestly, comments and kudos never fail to brighten my day. So thank you!! <3

“As a result, this Report raises concerns and highlights the need for both the Legislative and Executive branches of the council to proceed with caution on the implementation of the current basing plan…”

Harry’s already read Gregory’s report twice and it’s even more boring when read out loud. So he lets his mind wonder as the rest of the council listens carefully to each and every word. They’ve only been apart for an hour and Harry’s already anxious to get back to Louis. He didn’t seem too pleased with the resting order Olivia had given him. Actually, Louis never seems too pleased with any order in any circumstances judging by the way he purses his lips and narrows his eyes every time. By the way his nose crunches just a little with the movement and the way his hands close into cute little fists.

“Harry… what are you smiling about?”

Niall’s knowing smirk effectively sets Harry’s face back into seriousness.

“What? Nothing. I’m listening to Greg’s report, stop distracting me.”

“Mm-hmm.” Niall rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to Greg.

Harry tries to do the same but then he feels it. Louis. Panicking. The omega’s heartbeat has picked up. He’s scared. It takes only a second before Harry is out the door, not bothering to excuse himself. He vaguely hears his name yelled but he’s already running towards Louis. Something’s wrong. If Louis is that scared. Something is terribly wrong. Harry tries to keep calm. He has to be there for him, he can’t be panicking too. As soon as he kicks the door open however, Harry loses any composure he might have had left. Louis is frantic, crying and hyperventilating. Nick is leaning over him, trying to calm him down, but only making it worse.

“Louis? Will you just- Stop freaking out! Louis?”

It’s clear to Harry that anytime Nick leans closer, Louis’ terror increases. Harry’s seeing red. He grabs Nick by the collar and drags him away from Louis.

“What the _fuck_ did you do?” Nick’s eyes are wide as he pathetically tries to get out of Harry’s hold.

“I don’t know! I touched his shoulder and he started freaking out. I haven’t done anything I swear! He’s just-. I don’t know… fucked up!”

If it weren’t for the pain radiating out of his soulmate at the moment, he might have ripped Nick’s head off. As it is now, his first priority is to Louis.

“_Get. out._” The Alpha command doesn’t give Nick any choice and he obeys hastily. Harry’s at Louis’ side in an instant. The omega is still battling an invisible enemy, mumbling unintelligible words. Every tear is like a stab in Harry’s heart. He tries to wipe them away, but new ones replace them immediately.

“Lou? … Come on love, please just tell me what’s wrong.”

It’s no use. Louis is somewhere else. He’s worryingly pliant as Harry climbs into bed behind him, hoping to offer some comfort. Louis always seems to relax best when he’s scenting Harry, so the Alpha turns Louis’ head towards the crook of his neck.

“Louis, love, I’m here. You’re safe you’re okay.”

Louis’ shaking. Harry’s hold tightens. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Louis’ heartbeat slows down a little.

“Harry?”

“Yes Lou, it’s me.”

Louis is sobbing now and all Harry can do is hold him, hoping, praying, it’ll be enough.

“You’re safe Lou. You’re safe. Let it out. You’re okay.”

It seems like hours before Louis falls asleep. Harry doesn’t move, holding onto Louis as if his life depends on it.

\---

_The morning sun warms Louis’ skin slightly, sending goose bumps down his arms. The earth beneath his feet is still wet. Fog makes the trees look like they’re floating. Birds are chirping. He isn’t sure what he’s doing here but it might be his favorite smell in the world. Forest after rain. Cold air warming up. Wet leaves and grass. _

Exhausted, Louis slowly realizes he isn’t really in the forest but simply engulfed in Harry’s arms. Which might be even better.

Then, recent events come rushing back to him rupturing his peaceful state. Nick. The smell of lavender. His uncle. _Oh god_. He overreacted, didn’t he? As he tenses, Harry rubs soothing circles on his back and he sinks back into their embrace, sighing. He knows Harry probably wants to talk about what happened. Louis’ just embarrassed that he created such a scene and wants to forget it ever happened. At the same time, leaving Harry’s arms would be like leaving a warm shower to go dive in the snow. There’s nothing he would like less.

“Lou… what happened? Do you want to talk about it?“

Louis doesn’t. There’s nothing to talk about. Nick touched him and he overreacted. Nick didn’t do anything wrong. Louis’ just a freak. There’s really nothing to talk about.

“I hate flowers.”

Harry stops rubbing his back for a second, probably taken aback by Louis’ abrupt change of subject.

“You hate flowers.”

Harry resumes his soothing strokes. When Louis looks up, head still resting on Harry’s shoulder, His eyes land on Harry’s jaw. He can’t seem to look away. Louis doesn’t care. He decides he’s allowed to stare if he wants to. After all, Harry is his soulmate, right?

“I hate flowers.” It comes out a whisper, still hypnotized by Harry’s jaw line, even when the Alpha turns to look at him.

“Okay. And… why is that, may I ask?”

Harry’s jaw is even more interesting to look at when it’s moving.

“They’re obnoxious.”

Louis pretends that Harry tilting his head slightly and smiling softly isn’t the cutest thing he’s ever laid eyes on.

“They are?”

There’s a dimple showing on Harry’s left cheek now. Louis wants to touch it. So he does. The touch makes the other dimple pop into existence as well, effectively blinding Louis with beauty.

“Yes Harry. Flowers are obnoxious. I don’t like it… they’re all about colors and overpowering smells. Its obnoxious. I can’t stand it.”

Harry snorts and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Okay. You don’t like flowers. Noted.”

Louis’ eyes lower to Harry’s neck as they let comfortable silence settle between them.

“I used to wear flower crowns when I was younger. I’d go collect a bunch of them in the gardens and my mother would help me… hum. She would help me twine them together.”

There’s a fleeting moment of pain. It doesn’t show on Harry’s face. But Louis can feel it. Now that he thinks about it, Louis has no idea where Harry’s parents are. It’s so normal for him not to have a family that he didn’t think about Harry’s. In a peaceful pack like the Styles, it’s weird that Harry has become Alpha at such a young age. As much as he wants to pry, Louis can also feel that Harry doesn’t want to talk about it. Respecting that, he lets it go and files the questions in his mind for later.

Louis huffs instead, keeping the tone light.

“Of course you would wear flower crowns. You’re ridiculous.”

Harry’s dimples deepen.

Louis smiles a bit more genuinely than he’d intended to as he continues.

“I can see it, though. I’m sure you made the flowers look beautiful.”

“_You’re_ beautiful.”

Louis rolls his eyes.

\---

“Whose car is that?”

They’re walking back to the main house. Louis had wanted to get away from the hospital room and Harry had accepted on the condition that he’d rest at the main house. Although there is no way he is letting himself toss and turn and most of all _think_ alone in bed again, he’d agreed just so he could get out of the hospital. Anyway, he’s prepared to sneak out if need be, knowing his wolf can easily make the jump from his room’s window. As they’re approaching the entrance though, Louis can see a car parked right outside and he’s intrigued. Werewolves usually don’t use cars unless they’re with humans. A car in headquarters would mean _humans_ in headquarters… That’s not something Louis’ seen very often. At Louis’ inquiry though, Harry only shrugs, unbothered.

“Looks like Lottie’s parents’ car. Probably just dropping her off.”

That’s.- That’s a lot of new information to take in.

“Wait. Lottie’s parents are human? How’s that-? And she doesn’t live here?”

Harry snorts.

“Wow. Sometimes I forget how archaic other packs can be.”

Louis’ eyes are wide, waiting for Harry to elaborate.

“Yeah, Lottie’s parents are human. She was adopted when she was still a baby. She sometimes stays the night at the main house, since she goes to school here but she mostly sleeps at her parents’ house in the suburbs.”

“And it doesn’t bother you that humans…”

“That humans come into headquarters? No of course not. I mean it’s Lottie’s parents. Everybody loves them. And we have a pretty good relationships with humans around here.”

Louis nods, a little dazed. Most packs have trouble accepting other lower rank werewolves into headquarters let alone humans. This pack is going beyond anything Louis’ ever seen.

It’s great. The more he knows about the Styles pack, the more he aches to be part of it. Louis’ lost in thought as he slowly opens the door and he’s quickly shaken out of them when a weight comes crushing right into his arms.

“Louis! I was so worried when I heard! Are you okay?” The omega winces as Lottie’s arms squeeze a bit too close to the bruise on his jaw.

“Oh sorry! Did I hurt you? So sorry! Are you okay?”

Louis laughs breathily, shocked by Lottie’s display. It’s weird how much he cares for her already, how much he wants to reassure her, how he doesn’t want her to worry. Ever. It’s getting harder and harder to imagine himself leaving this pack. He swallows and blinks rapidly, forcing himself to focus. Lottie. Worried. Right.

“I’m fine Lottie, don’t worry about me. I’m all right.”

Charlotte takes a step back and unexpectedly punches him in the arm.

“Ow! Why’d you do that for?”

“ ‘Cause you’re an Idiot! Why would you get yourself in danger like that huh? Don’t _do_ that! Don’t _ever_ do that.”

Louis’ still clutching his arm in pain and confusion when she grabs him into another hug. Once confusion passes, Louis lets himself reciprocate the hug, understanding that Lottie needs it just as much.

“I’m sorry Lottie. I’m sorry I worried you.”

Charlotte eventually breaks the hug and sighs.

“All right, well. It’s in the past now. You’re okay. Do you want to meet my parents?”

Louis looks at Harry who nods encouragingly.

“Hum… Sure.”

Louis’ smile is stiff. Meeting new people must be in the top five things Louis hates to do the most. He usually doesn’t make a great first impression so it’s rarely a good experience. He isn’t sure why but meeting Charlotte’s parents feels like it means something. Like it’s important somehow. Maybe because for the first time in a long time, he actually _wants_ to make a good impression. He _wants_ them to like him. He wants to be accepted. As he walks towards the living room, Harry beside him, Lottie leading the way, his palms are starting to sweat and his breathing picks up.

He stops walking. No. He can’t do this. He can’t let it go further. If he leaves the pack, it’ll tare him apart. He won’t survive it. He has to back up a little. It’s all going too fast. He’s getting more and more attached to this pack. Faster than he could ever think possible. And this is dangerous. He backs up slowly and swallows audibly.

“Lou?” Harry has a hand on his back, eyes questioning. Louis’ eyes are wide, not even trying to hide how scared he suddenly feels. His mouth is dry. He has to get out.

Louis runs. Someone’s shouting behind him but he just wants to be left alone. He has to think. Clear his mind. He has to decide now. If he leaves. He has to leave now. If he waits any longer, it will be too hard.


	20. Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this crippling fear that people will get bored of this story, but I'm honestly having a lot of fun exploring the characters and their dynamics. I just hope you have as much fun reading it. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for the support! -Xx

Louis did not think this through. Having left his backpack behind, he doesn’t have anything but the clothes on his back. He doesn’t have his map either so he might as well be running right back into Scott’s territory for all he knows which would be a disaster. And above all, he doesn’t _want_ to leave.

_Fuck_. Tears veiling his vision, he has to slow down. The lump in his throat makes it hard to control his breathing and his damn leg is still aching. He stops running. In the middle of the forest, unsure of where he is, sitting down on a fallen tree, he decides he needs to think this through. Isn’t it like him? Acting rash and then think about what he should do only to realize he’s already screwed everything up by acting rash in the first place. Louis hates himself sometimes. Most times actually.

The silence of the forest as daylight decreases contrasts drastically with Louis’ racing mind. Regret sets in sooner than he’d have ever anticipated. Why did he run away? Harry told him he wants him to stay. Why can’t Louis just believe that? Why can’t he just. Stay. He’s vaguely aware of the tears on his cheeks and the hiccups in his breaths when he hears someone approaching. Even as he’s crying, Louis rolls his eyes, recognizing the scent instantly. Of course Harry would run after him. Louis had tried to cover his tracks and run in an unpredictable pattern, but he’s beginning to think Harry would find him wherever he went, whatever he did.

The Alpha gets closer, slowly, as if approaching a wounded animal. If Louis wasn’t embarrassingly crying, he’d have a few comments to say about that. Harry doesn’t speak as he gets closer to Louis and sits next to him. He remains silent as he brings Louis closer and into his arms. Louis’ stiff. He knows he’ll have to break this off. He’s realizing that leaving without a proper goodbye is going to be impossible. Harry won’t accept it and will keep trying to find him.

“Harry…”

Reluctantly, Louis gets out of Harry’s embrace and gets up in front of him, crossing his arms and willing his sobs to stop already. Looking into Harry’s anxious green eyes isn’t a sane decision, but it’s one he takes anyway.

“Lou?”

Harry’s worry is palpable and infects Louis instantly. The omega has to take a deep breath to try and calm his heartbeat down.

“Harry… I have to leave. I’m sorry.”

There’s shock and then sadness and then anger. All of those visible on Harry’s face but also extremely loud in their soul bond.

“For fuck’s sake Louis!” Harry stands up and Louis can’t keep eye contact anymore.

“Harry I –“

“No, Louis, why the hell would you still think that you have to leave? What don’t you understand in ‘I want you to stay’? In what language do I have to-”

“It’s not that! I get it. You want me to stay. It’s just- It’s not that.”

Louis hates that Harry takes a step back, he hates the hurt in his eyes.

“Then what is it Lou?”

Louis shakes his head, looking down to his crossed arms. The lump in his throat is blocking his ability to form coherent words at the moment.

“Please, Lou. If you’re going to leave, at least tell me why. You owe me that much.”

Harry is right. With the trouble he’s caused already and this whole soulmate ordeal, Harry’s entitled to an explanation. So Louis swallows, uncrosses his arms and takes a deep breath.

“I can’t become your mate Harry. I can’t be an Alpha’s mate. That’s too big of a responsibility… Don’t shake your head. You don’t- you don’t know anything about me. I’m a thief Harry. I’ve- I’ve done things to survive that I’m not proud of… You just…Don’t _know_ me. I’m not good, Harry. I’m a thief and a free loader at best.”

“Lou, don’t talk like that. You’re–“

“No Harry, please let me get this out.”

Harry’s jaw clenches but he nods once and sits back down, allowing Louis to continue.

“I understand that you don’t think so but you’re too blinded by this whole soulmate thing to realize it. Only… other pack members will _see_ how screwed up I am. They’ll see that I’m not worthy of you, that you deserve so much better. You’re so young and already every one respects you so much. And I know what I’m talking about Harry, I’ve seen a great deal of Alphas in my life and you’re by far one of the best I’ve seen. Actually the best. And I… I’m the worst omega I’ve ever met.

Why can’t you see this? _God_. I’m so screwed up. I can’t possibly ask any one, any _pack_ to take on that burden. Episodes like I had with Nick are bound to happen again. Hell, even alone, I’ve had multiple nightmares and flashbacks. I’ve almost dropped a couple times only from exhaustion and stress.”

“What? You’ve dropped _alone_?”

“Almost. I almost dropped. I’ve never actually dropped. But that’s not the point. The point is, if I were to stay in your pack Harry, you’d have to deal with all of that… _baggage_. You’d continuously worry about me. And being the Alpha, you can’t have that. You need a partner that will help you lead the pack. Someone who’s strong, determined. Someone you can rely on. Someone who can advise you, who can become a role model for other omegas in the pack, for other werewolves regardless of gender. You can’t have someone who adds an additional crushing responsibility. No. I know the good thing to do here is to relieve everyone of… well… me. Even if you can’t see it yet, trust me, you’ll be grateful in the long run.”

As silence falls back onto the both of them, Louis swallows audibly and focusses his gaze on the grass underneath his feet. He doesn’t remember being so open with anyone about anything. It’s nerve racking to wait for Harry’s reaction and he almost regrets dumping all of this emotional turmoil on him.

“Are you done?”

Startled, Louis looks up to see Harry’s softened expression, a whisper of a smile on his lips.

“I agree with you Lou.”

Louis’ heart sinks. Of course he agrees. Why is Louis even surprised. 

“Well no actually, I think almost everything you said was bullshit. But I agree that I need someone strong and determined. I need someone that will help me lead the pack. Above all, I need someone that cares about the pack as much as they care about me.”

Fresh tears fall from Louis’ eyes and he bites his lips trying to stifle a sob. Harry finally sees that Louis isn’t good enough.

“Oh Lou…”

Harry gets up and engulfs Louis in his arms. Weak as he is, Louis allows himself to sink into the embrace. For all he knows, it might be the very last time he gets to hug his soulmate.

“Don’t you get it? It describes you perfectly. You _are_ all of those things.”

_What?_ Louis’ confusion must show in the way he stiffens and in their soul bond because Harry laughs softly. The warm puffs of air tickling Louis’ neck slightly. Harry backs away from the hug only to look into Louis’ eyes.

“Louis. Listen to me. You are the strongest omega I’ve ever met. Hell, you’re the strongest werewolf I’ve ever met. You’d me an amazing leader. Not just a mate’s leader. You’d make a great Alpha yourself.”

Louis rolls his eyes at the ludicrous idea. An omega has never been the leader of any pack. Harry’s completely insane.

“I’m not joking Louis. You were willing to leave your soulmate behind for the well-being of a pack you’ve only known for a couple of weeks. You’re amazing. Strong and selfless.”

Louis gapes, shocked.

“I wish you could see what I see when I look at you. But one thing is sure. You’re the only one that doesn’t see it.”

Louis frowns. Every pack he’s encountered has politely and not so politely asked him to leave their territory as soon as possible. He’s pretty sure they all thought Louis was not more than trash to take out.

“If you’re worried about what the pack will think, don’t. Every one you’ve met is already smitten. Even Liam and Zayn are getting jealous at how much Niall praises you. Lottie wanted you to meet her parents.”

Louis shakes his head. Everyone was particularly kind, sure. But they probably thought of Louis as a charity case more than anything else. Harry sighs, frustrated.

“I’m not getting through to you am I?”

Louis purses his lips. Harry seems so sure of himself and Louis wants to believe him more than anything. But he’s always been told he was a shitty omega. He was even banished for it by the people who knew him the most. Harry’s known him for a couple of weeks. He might be wrong about Louis.

“I don’t know.” Louis wishes he could alleviate the worry in Harry’s eyes once and for all. But he can’t. He doesn’t want to lie and he honestly isn’t sure of anything anymore.

“Okay, then. Let’s make a deal. You give me time to convince you that you are good for me. That you are good for the pack and if you still want to leave after a while, then I won’t stop you. But I just ask you to give us a chance to show you how good things can be. That means staying and allowing yourself to be part of it. Be part of the pack. To not always have a foot out the door. What do you say?”

Louis takes a moment to ponder the idea. If stays longer, he might get attached more and if it turns out that he has to leave, it will hurt like hell. Then again, if he leaves now, it will still hurt like hell since, let’s face it, he’s more attached than he ever would have wanted to be. Looking at Harry’s hopeful expression, one of his dimples imperceptibly visible, it’s impossible to even imagine turning his back on him now. So he nods his agreement.

“Okay. But you have to promise me that if you change your mind, if you realize that I’m not good for you or the pack, you won’t let me stay.”

“Louis I will never-“

“Promise me, Harry. Promise me you’ll chase me away if you realize you were wrong about me.”

Harry sighs.

“Okay. I promise.”

“Then, I’m staying.”

“Good.” 

As they look into each other’s eyes, Harry’s smile slowly growing, Louis can’t help but smile too.

“Good.”


	21. In the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not Monday. I know. Nothing makes sense anymore. Where am I? Who am I? What am I doing here?

Louis’ wolf’s giddiness contrasts with Louis’ anxiousness making him toss and turn unable to find sleep. He’s grateful not to be alone out there again, to still have a place in the Styles pack. Actually, his wolf is ecstatic, it would execute a series of embarrassing dance movements if Louis gave in. But he can’t. Harry’s words reverberate in his head. He’d praised so confidently Louis’ alleged strengths, even saying he’d make a great leader. Either Harry’s got his head in the sand due to this bonding phenomena or he’s totally blind. Or… maybe Harry’s right.

Maybe Louis is a better person than he’d thought. Maybe he _is_ worthy of Harry. Louis wants to believe it. But then again, nobody else ever saw that in him, not even himself. Doesn’t that say something too? All this ruminating gives him a headache and keeps him wide awake all the while his wolf is just screaming at him to stop overthinking everything. Sighing in frustration, Louis turns on his back again, getting the sheets tangled up on his legs.

He’s staring at the ceiling when he hears a hesitant knock at his door. As he turns his head towards the sound, Harry pops his head in the room, uncertain eyes adjusting to the dark.

“Lou? Are you okay?”

Harry’s whisper makes him smile slightly. Of course Harry would know about Louis’ turmoil and come check on him.

“I’m fine. M’just thinking I guess.”

Harry enters, closing the door behind him and is now approaching the bed. Louis hates that he’s so hesitant.

“Honestly Harry, stop treating me like a scared dear. I’m fine.”

Harry laughs breathily, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

“Sorry. To be fair though, you do have a habit of running away… so…”

Louis bites his lip. Harry has a point. _God!_ The trouble he’s caused for Harry already. He doesn’t realize he’s hiding his face in his hands until Harry pulls them away.

“Hey, it’s all right Lou. You don’t have to feel guilty.”

_How did Harry know exactly how I felt? Oh right._

“This whole soul bond thing is freaky.”

Harry snorts. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

Harry’s still hovering over Louis and hasn’t removed his hands from Louis’. There’s a silent moment where time sets still. Both unsure of where to go from there. Louis laughs nervously and shifts to one side of the bed, leaving space for Harry to hop in. Harry stares for a moment, blinking, still unsure.

“Well… We going to cuddle or what?”

Harry smiles, dimples out and Louis’ heart skips a beat.

It’s fascinating and scary how much being in Harry’s arms has an instant calming effect on Louis’ mind. The memory of what kept him awake in the first place already a distant thought.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing you don’t know already.”

Harry’s arms tighten around Louis slightly.

“Mmh.”

Although Louis’ exhausted, he has no desire to fall asleep. Looking up at Harry who’s eyes stare at the ceiling above him, the sentiment seems reciprocated.

“Harold?”

Harry rolls his eyes at the nickname and turns his head towards Louis’ face. They’re only inches apart and Louis’ eyes keep going back to Harry’s lips.

“Yeah?”

Harry’s deep voice is distracting and Louis forgets what he was going to say.

“I don’t want to sleep.” Harry smirks crookedly.

“Me neither.”

Just as Louis’ about to close the small distance between us, Harry speaks again.

“Let’s play twenty questions.”

Louis pauses and leans back, trying to get a good look at Harry. He has this shit eating grin on his face, clearly aware of what he’s just done. Louis smiles and lays his head back on Harry’s chest.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“So you’ve said.”

Louis can feel Harry’s chest vibrate underneath him as he speaks. He’d much prefer to be kissing, but this is nice enough.

“What’s twenty questions then?”

“It’s simple. We both ask twenty questions to the other. You can pass on two of the questions if you don’t want to answer them.”

Louis tenses. Yeah. He’d much prefer to make out. Making out seems way more fun than having to answer questions. But he gets it. Harry’s right. They haven’t really taken the time to get to know each other yet. And they should. Harry should know Louis better. He should know what he’s getting himself into. As much as Louis doesn’t want Harry’s pink glasses to come off, as much as he doesn’t want him to look at Louis differently, Harry should know. Although the thought is terrifying.

Of course, Harry senses Louis’ fear.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. And if you want to pass on more than two questions, of course, you can. I don’t want to force you to do anything.” Harry’s little ramble makes Louis laugh and he nods.

“Okay Harold. Let’s play your questions game.”

Harry’s smile lights up the dark room. Louis could never deny this boy anything. Besides, there’s something Louis’ been wondering for a while now.

“Can I start?”

“Sure.”

“How did you become Alpha so young? What happened to your parents?”

Harry inhales sharply and lets out a breathy laugh.

“Fuck Lou. You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

“Sorry. Should have eased into it huh?”

“It’s what people usually do, yeah” Harry laughs again but it’s strained and Louis feels bad. He’s always been a bit too straight forward.

“Okay well… you can choose between that question and… hum… what’s your favorite colour?”

Harry laughs more genuinely this time.

“So I can choose between favorite colour and parents’ deaths?”

Louis bites his lip. He’s so bad at this game already.

“Yeah…”

There’s a moment of silence where Louis thinks he’s ruined the game but Harry’s chest vibrates again and Harry’s voice comes out low, barely a whisper.

“I was sixteen. My parents had taken in a ro- a werewolf. He was hurt and they offered him shelter and food until he got back on his feet. I was sleeping in that room when I heard someone scream. When she screamed again, I realized it was my mother and I ran as fast as I could. I heard her scream again but then it stopped suddenly. When I entered their room - my room now - the window was opened and my parents were… laying on the bed. There was so much blood. They weren’t moving and I tried to… but there was nothing I could do.”

Louis doesn’t dare to move. He can feel Harry’s deep sadness in their bond. All he wants is to sooth his pain away, but there really isn’t much he can say. So he settles for drawing circles on Harry’s side with his thumb. An infinitely small gesture that somehow elicits a deep sigh from Harry.

“So it was a rogue who killed them?”

Harry nods. That explains Harry’s resistance to Liam’s pleads when Louis first entered headquarters.

“But why? Why would he do that?”

“He broke into my parent’s safe and stole every valuable item they had. I’m guessing my parents woke up and tried to stop him.”

“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry Harry.”

“It’s okay. It’s been almost ten years now. Actually it’ll be ten years on the 21st.”

Louis hums. Then his head snaps up as the information sets in. The sudden movement startles Harry.

“Wha-“

“The 21st of March? Ten years ago?”

“Yeah… what’s-“

“I was banished on March 21st 2010.”

“Huh. That’s… We both had a rough time on that day I guess… It’s…”

“A weird coincidence?”

Louis lays his head back on Harry’s chest.

“Yeah.”

They both ponder in comfortable silence until Harry speaks again.

“You know… I think you’ve pretty much burnt through like half of your questions.”

Louis laughs.

“Yeah I think I might have. I’m not very good at this game.”

“My turn then.”

Louis swallows, hoping it wasn’t too audible in the silent room.

“How can you ignore Alpha commands? I had never seen an omega do that before you. I didn’t even think it was possible.”

Louis hesitates. He could easily answer the how and avoid the why, but he feels like Harry’s recent vulnerability deserves a similar response. He takes a deep breath.

“When I was younger, when I was still part of my pack… I had this uncle. Vaughan. To put it lightly, he wasn’t a great person. Kind of a dick actually.”

Harry goes stiff at the mention of his uncle. Louis’ confused since he hasn’t said anything about him yet but he lets it go.

“When I was younger, he would take pleasure in ordering me around. Alpha commanding me to do things for him like fetch him water, make his bed, clean his dishes, things like that. He’d even make me do the dumbest things like touch my toes for fifteen minutes just for the kick of it. Just to show me who was calling the shots. And I couldn’t resist it, my omega just wanted to please. It was so frustrating. As I grew older, my uncle’s orders became less and less… trivial. He’d continue to command me to fetch him things or tie his shoes or stupid orders like that when we were in public. But when he caught me alone… He’d-He’d command me to do things to- To do things to him… Or he’d command me to stay still, to stay silent and he’d-he’d…” The words get caught in Louis’ throat. By the way Harry’s rubbing Louis’ back, the way he engulfs him firmly in his arms and the way his jaw is set tightly, Louis’ pretty sure the words don’t need to be spoken. Harry understands.

“I’m sorry Lou.”

Louis allows himself a moment to let the lump in his throat dissipate. Harry’s peaceful smell slowly allows for the images of his uncle towering over him to evaporate.

“Anyway… I started training myself so that I could resist Alpha commands. I’d ask my alpha friends to test it out on me. They didn’t really know why I was doing this. They knew my uncle was being a dick, but they didn’t know… the full extent of it. They were still happy to help.”

“You didn’t tell them about your uncle?”

“I told my father after my first heat. My uncle had… hum. During my first heat. My uncle…” Louis’ surprised he still can’t talk about it. It’s been years and yet. He can’t get his mouth to articulate the words, or rather the word.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say it Lou.”

Louis sighs, relieved.

“So yeah. I told my father but he laughed and told me to suck it up. That I was lucky any alpha was paying me any attention. I was young and still thought my father knew better, so I didn’t talk about it again. But I trained. Every day. For hours. Eventually, I was able to resist my friends, but they were young too and resisting a grown alpha was harder. It took me longer to resist my uncle but, one day, I did.”

Louis smiles at the memory.

“The day I told my uncle to fuck off and finally disobeyed. It was amazing. I mean I got a beating from my father for it but… I laughed the whole time through it, I was just so happy to know I could finally resist him, that he didn’t have any power over me anymore.”

Silence falls back on them and Harry’s lack of response worries Louis. Anger radiates through their bond, Harry’s jaw is set tight. He stares at the ceiling as if he could drill holes in it with the power of his mind.

“Harold?” Louis tries to lighten the mood.

“I want to kill them Louis. I want to kill them both.”

Louis’ eyebrows shoot up in surprise and he gapes at Harry’s protectiveness. Harry’s usually so kind and calm.

“Harr-“

Harry’s eyes snap to Louis’ wide eyes.

“They deserve to suffer for what they did to you. I can’t believe they’re still breathing. I just can’t.”

“Harry. Please, it’s been a long time, I’m okay. And it made me stronger. I would have never known how to ignore Alpha commands if it weren’t for my uncle.”

Harry’s expression softens but his hold on Louis doesn’t loosen.

“You’re amazing.”

Louis’ heart swells. The emotion takes him by surprise and he hides his face in Harry’s chest. He was afraid Harry would think of him as broken goods, as too much baggage to handle, he didn’t expect Harry to look at him like he hung the moon. It’s a bit overwhelming.

“Come here.”

Harry pulls him up, a hand on his cheek, thumb brushing off a tear Louis hadn’t realized escaped.

“I can’t believe you’re surprised that I think you're amazing. You’re really something else Louis.”

It’s almost scary how good Harry’s getting at reading Louis’ emotions through their soul bonds.

And suddenly, they’re right back where they started. Inches apart, eyes darting to the other’s lips. Anticipation growing. Louis licks his lips but doesn’t try to close the distance again.

“Lou, can I kiss you?”

Louis rolls his eyes.

“Are you kidding me? Of course you can, you id-“

Harry’s lips effectively shut him up and they both smile into a soft and easy kiss. A kiss that makes Louis feel like a kid again. A kiss that _almost_ makes him giggle like one. Okay not almost. Louis straight up giggles. It’s embarrassing. He couldn’t care less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU!! I feel like I keep saying this over and over since I started posting this story, but I mean it. Thank you guys for supporting me, for kudoing, commenting, for keeping up with the story. It means so much <3


	22. Mornin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a short one. I'm sorry. But it seemed like a good place to stop before the next chapter which I am so excited for!! Can't wait to upload it :D  
Have great week -Xx

Making out with Harry is Louis’ new favorite thing to do. It’s hard to believe their synchronicity and Louis has the feeling their bond is an ever evolving thing. Last night, as he let his wolf instincts take over just a little bit, it’s as if every small movement Harry made contained an enormous amount of information. A tilt of his head, the pressure of his hands on Louis, a small sigh, a moan, they all pointed to what Harry wanted or needed exactly. And it’s obvious the connection goes both ways when Harry acts precisely the way Louis needs even before he knows it himself.

He’d wanted to go further, to explore their bond fully, but Harry had stopped him every time. Louis had been too scared of the answer to ask why. Maybe Louis is mistaken. Maybe the connection wasn’t so mutual. It would probably be healthier to talk about it, but when has Louis done the healthy thing?

For now, Harry’s snoring softly and Louis is smiling like an idiot. Who knew another person sleeping could be so interesting to look at? It’s nothing special really, Harry’s even drooling a little. It’s simultaneously disgusting and the cutest thing Louis’ ever seen. Time’s a foreign concept and he has no idea how much of it has passed when Harry finally stirs. As Harry’s getting more and more conscious, something’s screaming at him to stop staring, to maybe fake being asleep or just waking up, to do anything but stare. But Harry stirring awake is as interesting to look at as Harry sleeping. His curls fall onto his face and he tries to brush them off with his eyes still closed, failing miserably. Louis snorts. At the sound, Harry opens one eye, the rest of his face buried in his pillow.

“Mornin’”

It’s only one word. Not even articulated right, but it’s one of the best moments of Louis’ life so far. Harry’s raspy morning voice, the first daily rays of sun illuminating the bedroom with a soft yellow glow, the smiles they both share, this feeling of safety Louis is definitely not used to. It’s simple. It isn’t much, but it’s everything to Louis.

“Morning Harold.” His voice is barely audible when he finally answers and he’s pretty sure Harry fell back to sleep until he opens his eyes again.

“Were you staring at me sleep?”

Louis bites his lip.

“No.”

Harry laughs quietly.

“I can tell when you lie.”

“Oh.”

That’s new information. He’ll have to be careful and avoid straight up lies in the future. Although it would probably be healthier to avoid lying at all. But again, when has Louis done the healthy thing?

“And I didn’t even need our soul bond for that one.”

Louis rolls his eyes, grabs his pillow and throws it at Harry’s face. The latter laughs, unbothered.

Yeah. It’s definitely one of the best moments in Louis’ life so far.

He carefully saves the memory somewhere in his mind to look back at when it all goes south. _If_ It all goes south.

\---

Harry’s still growling at anyone that comes an inch too close to Louis’ food. Although exasperating it’s also extremely endearing. They’re having breakfast with other members of the pack and Harry’s hand hasn’t left Louis’ knee the entire time. It’s almost impressive how well the Alpha can eat with only one hand.

Louis isn’t used to so much protectiveness and he still isn’t so sure he likes it. His wolf is ecstatic, that’s undeniable. But Louis’ still on the fence about the whole thing. He’s used to taking care of himself, making his own decisions and defending himself. He doesn’t need anybody to do all that for him and he certainly doesn’t want Harry to feel obligated to protect him.

Still, surrounded by familiar faces, he thinks he could get used to this morning ritual. Zayn and Niall are in an intense debate about a video game Louis wouldn’t know the first thing about. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t played a video game in more than a decade. Harry’s in conversation with Olivia, sitting next to him. Lottie’s talking about poetry with another beta girl at the other end of the table. There are numerous other werewolves he doesn’t know yet, talking or eating quietly. A pup, not more than ten years old seems close to falling asleep in his cereal bowl. Louis’ content just sitting there, observing the domestic scene, feeling like he’s almost part of it. He looks back at Harry smiling and Harry returns the smile, squeezing his knee slightly.

“So Louis, I heard you’re interested in building boats?”

Harry chokes on orange juice. Louis gawks at Liam who pauses, spoon full of way too healthy foods midair, confused as to what prompted such a reaction.

“I remember Zayn mentioning you’re reading books on building sailboats or something. My dad was a sailor for a good portion of his life. So I know a thing or two about that, I’d be happy to help.”

Harry’s hand tightens on Louis’ knee and Louis side eyes Harry nervously.

“Oh. Well yeah, I was interested in that for a bit, but I don’t know anymore.”

“Okay. Sure. If you need, I’m there is all I’m saying.”

Liam’s genuine smile is infectious. It’s apparent Liam doesn’t know the whole story but his eagerness to help is endearing.

“Noted. Thank you.”

Louis doesn’t need their soul bond to know Harry’s annoyed. Jaw set tight, eyebrows furrowed, he’s nodding at something Olivia is saying, but it’s apparent he’s tense.

Just as Louis’ racking his brain for something to say or do to alleviate the tension, Nick comes up behind him.

“Hey, Louis. Could I talk to you for a minute?”

Before Louis could even think to answer, Harry’s grabbing Nick by the collar and pushing him on the wall harshly.

It takes a moment for Louis’ brain to register what’s happening, but when it does, Louis knocks his chair over in his haste to stop Harry.

“Harry!”

“I thought I made it clear before. Apparently not. _You are not to come near Louis ever again._”

Every omega in the room whimpers at the Alpha order’s strength. Even Louis has a hard time not submitting.

Louis despises Alpha orders. He despises it even more when it’s coming from Harry’s mouth.

“Next time you have the nerves to show your face in the main house I won’t hesitate to banish you indefinitely. Is _that_ clear?”

“Harry! No!”

Harry’s going way too far. Louis’ attempts to get Harry off of the scared alpha are futile. Keeping a tight hold on Nick, nearly choking him, Harry turns to Louis, the anger on his face unnerving. Louis doesn’t recognize the Harry he knows, kind and carefree Harry. 

“He hurt you. He-“

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Harry. He didn’t hurt me. I mean he may have a problematic understanding of consent, but he didn’t hurt me! I overreacted. That’s all. You’re being too harsh!”

Harry’s grip on Nick loosens and the latter gasps in a breath. As soon as Nick gets the ability to speak again, he doesn’t waste a second.

“I’m so sorry Louis, I really am. I didn’t mean to, I swear. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay Nick.” Louis tries to reassure.

It only seems to anger Harry more. Louis tugs on his arm once again to no avail.

“Come on Harry, let go.”

Harry turns his gaze back to Nick, eyes glaring.

“No. Not so fast. Louis may forgive people way too easily, but I don’t. Not when it comes to him. Banishment is still on the table. Any step in the wrong direction, any misplaced advances and I won’t hesitate. Am I clear?”

Nick swallows audibly and looks down in a display of submission.

“Yes, very clear.”

“Good.” Harry lets go of Nick who nearly falls to the floor. “_Scram_.”

_Again with the Alpha order_. Nick doesn’t need to be told twice.

Louis’ in shock. He’s starting to see this new side to Harry. A protective and downright scary side. An aggressive side he’s seen too many times before in other Alphas.

Harry’s expression softens significantly as he takes in Louis’ demeanor.

“I’m sorry Lou if I scared you. I just-“ Harry looks up. Everyone has stopped eating, too entrance by the scene unfolding before them, a scene undoubtedly more interesting than cereal.

“Maybe we should talk more privately. What do you say?”

Just as Louis nods his agreement, Gregory enters the dining room, confused when he takes in the heavy silence reigning.

“Hum. Harry?”

Harry closes his eyes in annoyance and opens them again, forcing his gaze towards Gregory.

“What is it?”

“We need you at the south border. A foreign woman’s asking permission to enter our territory.”

Harry sighs.

“Okay I’ll be right there.”

Gregory leaves without another word and Harry looks at Louis apologetically.

“We’ll have to talk about this later, yeah?”

“Of course, duty calls.”

Louis does his best to smile, but his mind is racing. Harry isn’t fooled in the slightest and it’s very reluctantly that he follows behind Gregory, leaving Louis with his thoughts.

For a moment there Harry nearly looked like the countless violent and aggressive alphas Louis’ met in his rogue life when just a moment ago, he’d thought Harry was the furthest thing from it.

He’s standing in the middle of the dining table, so enthralled in his internal crisis, he’s unaware of the numerous eyes on him.

“Hey, Louis? Could we talk for a moment?”

Louis startles and looks up. Olivia’s standing in front of him, a questioning look on her face.

“Sure.”

He follows Olivia robotically, anxiety growing in his chest, replaying the last events in his head over and over again. Is he overreacting again? Maybe Harry wasn’t so scary. Maybe it’s his mind playing tricks on him again. Maybe.


	23. Lose control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My life is a mess. I procrastinate too much and I have no idea what I'm doing half of the time... BUT this story is good. I'm proud of it and I'm uploading regularly. So... win?

They’re in Louis’ bedroom. And Louis’ realizing now that he’s starting to think of it as his and not the guest’s bedroom. He doesn’t have time to dwell on that. Olivia makes him sit on the bed while she rolls the desk chair to sit in front of him as if they were in a hospital room and she was going to check on him. It makes Louis nervous.

“So… I just wanted to follow up on everything, see how you were doing.”

Louis shrugs, everybody’s kindness starting to make him uneasy. Why would Olivia care at all? Before the Styles pack, Louis could easily identify the reason behind anyone’s actions. In a way, it was easier to deal with people like his uncle. Even now, it’s easier to deal with people like Nick who’s intentions are pretty clear: getting in Louis’ pants. It’s annoying, creepy and uncomfortable, but, at least, it’s clear. Louis can deal with that.

But with people like Olivia. Like Liam, Niall, Lottie and most of all Harry, it’s hard to understand why they’d act so caring towards someone like Louis. And now with Harry acting so protective when Louis’ well-being isn’t worth getting so worked up over. It’s overwhelming, almost as if he’s drowning in kind gestures and words and he just needs a moment to breathe, to get his head out of the water for a second.

“I’m fine. Great.”

Louis’ done with the conversation already. He wants to talk to Harry. He wants to see that he isn’t that aggressive, that he imagined the whole thing with Nick. Most of all, He wants to go back to this morning and redo the whole day.

Olivia’s not buying it one bit. She’s looking at him with the same worried look she’d given him on Louis’ first day in the Styles pack.

“Have you and Harry thought about mating yet?”

Louis’ eyebrows shoot up in surprise and he chokes on nothing. He feels his cheeks redden in embarrassment. They haven’t even had sex yet, let alone thought about mating. Besides, couples usually waited a year or two, sometimes longer before making their mark on their partner. Mating being extremely painful to reverse if one or the other changed their minds afterwards. So why would Olivia assume they’d already thought about something like that?

Olivia’s completely unbothered by Louis’ nervous demeanor and waits patiently for his answer.

“We…hum. Haven’t talked about it. It-it’s a bit… too soon don’t you think?”

“I mean you both know you’re soulmates, it’s kind of bound to happen don’t you think?”

Louis shrugs, looking down at his hands to avoid Olivia’s scrutinizing gaze. In truth, Louis would already feel pretty lucky if Harry were interested in dating him at all, let alone mating with him.

“Well, have you at least discussed a date to make you officially part of the pack yet?”

Louis’ taken back to their deal the day before. Harry still has to make sure Louis is worth it. Nothing was sure yet. _Why would Olivia care about this?_

“I… Humm. No. We’re kind of making sure that’s what Harry wants first.”

Olivia sighs deeply and it must be the most expressive Louis’ seen her. She rests her head in her hands for a second, looking… annoyed? Louis’ puzzled.

“Louis…” Olivia sighs again and Louis’ completely lost now.

“What? What did I say?”

Olivia smiles and shakes her head from side to side. _Exasperated? Yeah she looks exasperated_.

“Louis… It’s extremely evident that that’s what Harry wants. Don’t you see?”

Louis blinks slowly, trying to make sense of Olivia’s statement.

“You’re wolf most be screaming at you! There’s no way you don’t see it…”

Louis opens his mouth and closes it again, unsure of what to say. He _doesn’t_ see it. He isn’t sure what _it_ is.

Olivia sighs again and Louis frowns, a bit annoyed. What is Olivia seeing that Louis isn’t? Is Louis that oblivious?

“Okay. Well, let me ask it this way. Have you noticed Harry becoming increasingly protective, maybe even aggressive?”

Louis raises an eyebrow, still confused as to what this is all about. Olivia rolls her eyes.

“Have you noticed maybe him throwing another alpha into the wall and threatening to ban a member of the pack for the first time in his entire leadership this morning?”

As Louis slowly catches up, Olivia gives him a sympathetic look. How could Louis have been so stupid? Of course, Harry’s wolf would go crazy with its soulmate always talking about leaving. He just didn’t think anyone could care enough about him. He didn’t believe anyone could care that much. But again. This is all just the soul bond. Nothing Harry has actually chose.

“The fact that you’re not even an official member of the pack yet and haven’t mated, it’s probably why he’s been acting so protective the past few days. He’s in a constant battle with his wolf, trying to restrain it. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen Harry lose his cool like that. He’s always been extremely mellow even for an Alpha. But you should know first-hand, trying to contain your wolf’s instinct, that’s… really difficult. You have more practice, but Harry’s never had to do that.”

“Oh.”

_Fuck_.

So it’s louis’ fault. He’d blamed Harry seconds ago for being so aggressive. He’d doubted Harry’s character when it was all Louis’ fault. He knows he needs to make this right. He needs to see Harry, to apologize and to find a way to put Harry’s wolf to rest. Nothing else will alleviate this ball of guilt sitting heavy at the bottom of his stomach.

\---

“Come again?”

Harry’s only desire at the moment is to go back to Louis. To make amends. This woman’s presence isn’t the greatest timing. But it’s his responsibility and he tries to push the thoughts of Louis away and tries to concentrate on the situation at hand.

“My name’s Johanna Poulston. I’m looking for my daughter.”

The woman looks like she’s been through a lot to get there. Barely standing, her clothes are ripped in multiples places, revealing scratches and bruises. Harry already knows he’s going to let her in to, at least, see Olivia. But he wants to make sure this isn’t a ploy from James Scott first. They might not have declared open war, but their situation is slippery at best.

“Why do you think your daughter is on our territory?”

“I _Know_ she is because sixteen years ago I gave her away to a human family on the Styles territory.”

There’s something in the woman’s blue eyes. A familiar determination, Harry feels like he’s seen it before, but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

The look in her eyes is clear though, it’s a look that only a mother looking for her child could have. A look that says she’ll cross the border no matter what. She will stop at nothing to see her daughter again. And that has Harry taking a cautious step back.

“I don’t think I can let you disturb your daughter’s life without her knowing about it first.”

“I understand. I’ll wait.”

That takes Harry by surprise and he pauses. He can’t in good conscience let her camp out here in her current condition. 

“Okay. Look, I can see you need to rest and maybe we can have a doctor look you over. I’ll let you cross but only if you promise to wait for me to find your daughter first and respect your daughter’s desire. It should be her choice if she wants to meet you or not.”

Johanna nods.

“I understand. I promise.”

Harry’s silent for a moment, still unsure about the woman’s sincerity.

“Just so we’re clear, if she doesn’t want to meet you, I’m going to have to send you away.”

“Yes. I understand. I agree.”

Harry purses his lips. There’s a moment of silence where Harry tries to figure out if she’s being genuine.

“Harry?” The Alpha stifles a groan. Of course, Gregory would have something to say. Still, he _is_ part of the council and Harry’s duty is to take his advice into account. So he turns to him.

“Yes Greg?”

“I don’t think this is a good idea. James Scott could have sent her here.”

“I know. But I believe she’ll cross, permission or no permission.” Greg frowns and takes another look at the woman standing before them. After a moment, he seems to come to the same conclusion as Harry and nods.

“Okay. But I’ll put a guard on her.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less of you Greg.”

In truth, Harry would have asked Gregory to put a tale on her anyway. Finally, Harry inhales deeply,

“_I, Harry Styles, Alpha of the Styles’ pack give you permission to cross._”

As soon as the formality is over, Gregory orders two guards to accompany Johanna to headquarters and Harry can only hope he won’t regret his decision.

As soon as he marches back to headquarters however, his thoughts are consumed by Louis. They’d parted on a weird note. He’d acted irrationally. He’d let his wolf’s anger consume him in a way he’d never experience before. In truth, when he saw Nick again, acting so casually around Louis , he’d lost control. It’s embarrassing to admit but he still isn’t so sure how it happened.

When he’d looked into Louis’ eyes earlier, he swore he saw fear. That was the last thing he ever wanted to put into those eyes.

The guilt is overpowering any other thought and he can’t wait to set things straight again. To apologize profusely until Louis believes he won’t let his emotions consume him like that ever again.

\---

Louis is a jittery mess. After his conversation with Olivia, he’d thought of running to Harry straight away, but he didn’t want to bother him while he was on Alpha duty.

His omega’s impatience is killing him, screaming at him to make things right with his alpha. He can’t wait to tell Harry how sorry he is, hoping he’ll forgive him. All he can do is wait for him to return and hope he’ll at least hear Louis out.


	24. Jay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the short chapters... I keep thinking I'll try to write more next week but Mondays always creep on me too fast. Hope you don't hate me <3

As soon as Harry’s in sight, Louis runs outside to meet him. The small smile Harry’s sending his way, although slightly reassuring, isn’t enough to ease the anxious pit in his stomach.

  
“We need to talk.”

“We need to talk.”

They both laugh nervously. How they’re still surprised by their synchronicity is beyond Louis. Silence falls on them and they both stare at each other, uncertainty taking over their bond. He can’t stand this awkwardness between them. Awkwardness that’s never been there before. And that’s how Louis realizes how easy it’s been with Harry. How everything felt natural, nothing ever forced. Sure, he’s been a mess, but Louis’ always been a mess. Difference is, he’s never had an easy relationship with anybody in his life. Even with his friends, Stan and Oli. From as young as he can remember, he felt like an imposter, never omega enough, never alpha enough. He’s never felt at ease with anybody.

Until Harry. In a matter of weeks, they’ve shared moments Louis had never thought he would ever share with anybody. They’d kissed. Twice. They’d cuddled, embraced, hell he’s even let himself purr in Harry’s arms, something he’d never done before.

But now. Now they’re standing in uncomfortable silence and Louis’ afraid he might have screwed everything up already. Now they’re glancing at each other warily, like they’re both holding something back.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

Louis wonders if they’re only going to talk at the same time from this moment on, if that’s the soulmate’s curse: synchronized sentences. He can think of worse.

Harry laughs and shakes his head. And just like that, Louis can almost see some of the awkwardness evaporating.

“What in the world do _you_ think you’re apologizing for?”

Louis tilts his head to the side, surprised. It’s one thing for him to be oblivious of the intricacies of werewolf relationships but Harry should know. He shouldn’t need Olivia to explain it to him.

“It’s my fault. I’m the reason you jumped on Nick. I’m the reason you lost control. Your wolf is going crazy because it doesn’t have a claim on me yet. It’s why you’re feeling so protective and on edge and I blamed you at first and Olivia had to explain it to me and it should have been obvious and I’m so sor-“

“Wow. Stop. Breathe.”

Harry’ hands find their way on Louis’ shoulder and Louis hadn’t realized how worked up he’d gotten. Face flushing in embarrassment, he forces himself to take a deep breath.

“Louis please don’t apologize. You shouldn’t have to. _I _should have to.”

“What? No, Harr-”

“No Lou. For fuck’s sake! If I lose control it’s only _my_ fault not anybody else’s fault and certainly not yours!”

Louis’ taken aback. He was not expecting that at all. He was expecting to grovel a bit to get Harry’s forgiveness. Really, he was expecting rejection like he always does. Harry keeps flipping the story over, keeps changing the narrative. Narrative that’s always been very predictable up to this point.

Harry’s expression relaxes.

“It’s true that I’m having trouble controlling my wolf. I’ve never wanted to mark an omega before and this urge to claim you is new to me. It’s no excuse though. I shouldn’t have unloaded on Nick. Although I’m still pretty sure he deserved a good shove, I shouldn’t have threatened to banish him and I shouldn’t have even talked of banishment around you. _God_ you have no idea how much I regret losing control in front of you.”

And Louis not only sees the shame in Harry’s face but feels it in their bond.

“It’s okay Harry, we’re fine, I get it.”

Harry groans and shakes his head again.

“Lou you got to stop doing that.”

Louis frowns, completely lost.

“Doing what?”

“Forgiving me, forgiving everyone so easily.”

“But I- I do forgive you.”

Louis shrugs. He’s never had the luxury of holding a grudge. People he’s met in his life never really cared if he did. In fact, Louis had always been the one to grovel for the slightest bit of attention. He wasn’t about to give it away for something so stupid as resentment.

Before Harry even extends his arms, Louis smiles in anticipation of the embrace. Relaxing into it as soon as Harry’s smell encompasses. Louis sighs, content, thinking maybe this morning’s bliss isn’t so far away after all.

“Louis? Is that you?”

The voice seems to come straight from Louis’ passed just to slap him in the face. Bliss is never a place Louis stays for long. Is the voice even real or is he going crazy? Slowly, he detangles himself from Harry’s comforting hug, feeling cold immediately and turns towards the disturbance.

Although the woman before him has aged since their last encounter, he recognizes her instantly. He has to look at Harry and make sure he sees her too, just to confirm she isn’t a ghost. Harry’s gaping and looking from her to Louis to her again apparently floored by the current developments.

“Aunt Jay?”

Louis hates that his voice comes in barely a whisper. She’s approaching him slowly, hands to her mouth. Are those tears he sees in his aunt’s eyes? It can’t be.

“Yes Louis it’s me. You’re.. you’re alive...”

She reaches for Louis’ cheeks, as if wanting to make sure Louis’ really standing before her.

“Yep. I’m alive.”

Louis quickly dodges the move preferring to stand slightly behind Harry. Johanna doesn’t seem deterred and smiles, eyes swimming in a watery veil.

“I can’t believe it. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

Louis’ floored by the sincerity he can hear in his aunt’s words. She’s never been mean but she’s definitely never taken much interest to Louis, even going so far as to avoid any contact with him. Louis always thought she didn’t particularly liked him.

“Sorry to disappoint.”

Johanna looks hurt, eyebrows knit together.

“Oh Louis. If only you knew.”

Louis’ the pinnacle of uncomfortable. He has absolutely no desire of connecting back with his past lift in the Tomlinson’s pack. In truth, he wants out of this interaction entirely. He looks at Harry then and tries to convey his thoughts through their bond. They only look at each other half a second but Harry gets it and Laces an arm around Louis’ waist reassuringly. His omega’s so grateful for the contact Louis has a hard time restraining a purr. He could also kiss Harry right this second. He might. Later.

“Look, ma’am”

“Call me Johanna”

“Right. Johanna… I don’t think now is a good time. What do you say Kyle gets you to your room so you can get settled, yeah?”

Louis’ just noticing the guard standing a good distance behind her. Without waiting for Johanna’s response, the Alpha sends a pointed look to so-called-Kyle and the latter quickly stirs Johanna away.

As soon as she’s out of sight, Harry turns towards Louis, eyes piercing his, eyebrows drawn together.

“You okay?”

Louis nods, still processing his aunt’s apparition.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk about it Lou, but you have to tell me and please be honest, it’s really fucking important. Do I need to be worried about her? Should I send her away?”

Louis looks up at him wide eyed. Harry would let him chose who he lets into his territory? Just like that? And Louis’ thinking about it. To be perfectly honest, he’s life would be much simpler if Johanna wasn’t there to remind him of his past. But at the same time, she was never mean. She never did anything to hurt him. She only avoided him or plainly ignored him. Nothing to be worried about. She must be there on his father’s orders for something else entirely and it wouldn’t be fair to send her away just because of Louis.

“No. No reason to be worried. She just… reminds me of a time I don’t want to remember.”

“Well, just say the word and I’ll chase her away, okay?”

Louis nods and swallows. Surely, she didn’t plan on staying long anyway. She’ll do what she came here to do and be on her way. Right?


	25. Hazza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kitten saviours!
> 
> Thank you for your amazing comments so far. It's so motivating, it's incredible!!
> 
> Now... I got carried away writing this chapter and... well... smut ensued. If you don't like that, it's totally fine, you can skip it, you won't miss important parts of the plot.
> 
> But like... don't skip it? :D 
> 
> Have a great week! <3

Johanna knew the Styles pack was different, that the conditions here were much better, but part of her always worried that she’d been wrong. That she had made a terrible decision for her daughter years ago. Now that she gets to experience it firsthand she knows she made the right call. They’d let her in, an unannounced stranger, and welcomed her exceptionally well. The Tomlinson pack would have never done that.

“I’ll let you settle in. I’ll be right outside.”

Once Kyle closes the bedroom door behind him, Johanna lets her mind wonder as she prepares to take a much needed shower. She’d had to convince Vaughan to let her leave for a pretense recognition mission. He’d only granted her three weeks. The journey alone normally took three days. Johanna did it in two. She was exhausted. But she’d never been happier. Tears well up in her eyes as she thinks of Louis. Not only is he alive, but he’d looked healthy. Alpha Styles seemed to care for him a lot. As she steps into the shower, Johanna’s heart swells just thinking of Louis being cared for. She feared he’d died out there on his own. Knowing both her children were safe… Johanna couldn’t have asked for more. She lets tears of pure relief fall down her cheeks as hot water washes them away.

That night, when her head hits the pillow, it feels like the smile on her face could never disappear. She could go home in the morning, endure anything Vaughan throws at her and still be the happiest woman alive, knowing her children would be okay.

\---

Louis’ frustrated. They’re cuddling, about to fall asleep. Of course, Harry’s cuddles are amazing and Louis’ happy to bask in his reassuring scent. But… Louis’ turned on beyond belief. He can’t help it. Harry’s protectiveness answers a need his wolf has had for years and Harry’s sexy and charming, but cute and caring. A particular blend of traits that somehow awakens desires Louis didn’t know he had. And now they’re pressed up against each other and Harry’s heat is engulfing him and he can’t think straight. But every time he’s tried to take things further than kissing, Harry pulls away and tells him they need to cool down. Louis doesn’t want to cool down.

He can’t help but think Harry isn’t attracted to him. At least not in the way Louis’ attracted to Harry. Normally, he would have avoided the problem as long as possible, avoiding confrontation at all costs. But Louis’ realizing he’s changed since his arrival in the Styles pack. He’s learned to trust Harry more than he trusts himself sometimes. And so he doesn’t fear confrontation with him as much and he realizes he needs answers for his own sanity.

“Harry?”

There’s a puff of air on Louis’ shoulder as Harry mumbles incoherently and then silence. Louis frowns. He needs to have that talk now or he’ll chicken out.

“Harry, are you asleep?”

“Mmm.”

Again, not the most helpful answer. Harry shifts slightly, pressing his body closer to Louis’ and not helping Louis’ current problem.

“Harry, you’re awake.”

“no m’not.”

Louis can feel the smile on his shoulder and imagines the dimple that’s surely showing.

“Wake up then, I want to talk.”

“Mmpf.”

“Come on Hazza.”

The nickname slips and Harry picks up on it.

“Hazza?”

Louis’ glad darkness hides his blush.

“If you can call me Lou, I can call you Hazza.”

“Okay.”

Louis takes a moment to smile and let the blush go away. There’s a moment of silence where Louis forgets he was going to initiate a serious conversation.

“Haz’?”

Harry laughs breathily and props his head up.

“You’re not going to let me sleep, are you?”

Louis turns on his back so that they can look at each other properly.

“No.”

“What is it?”

Louis opens his mouth only to realize that he has no idea how to approach the subject. ‘please fuck me’ seems a bit too straight forward. The thought brings his blush back and he coughs and squirms, suddenly very uncomfortable. Maybe he can live without answers another day. It would also be better not to be turned on while they have this conversation. Yes. It would be better to talk about this in the morning instead.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep.”

Louis goes to turn back into a spooning position, but Harry stops him.

“Louis! Come on, tell me.”

Louis bites his lip and avoids Harry’s piercing gaze.

“Why… whydon’tyouwannasleepwithme?”

Harry’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“Huh?”

Louis gulps and takes a deep breath. He can do this.

“Why don’t you want to sleep with me?”

“I- Lou…”

Louis braves a glance at Harry’s face. Pity. Oh no. Now Louis regrets ever bringing it up.

“That’s not it at all. I _want_ to. More than you can imagine actually.”

Oh Louis can imagine all right.

“Then why not?”

“Honestly, I didn’t want to… overwhelm you. I mean… with what happened with your uncle… and then Nick… I thought if I… that you’d…”

Right. He’s complete over reaction with Nick. Louis almost forgot.

“That I’d freak out again?”

“No, no Lou. Don’t put it like that. I just thought… maybe I’d trigger a bad memory? And with my wolf being so… hard to control right now…” Harry’s voice lowers an octave as he continues in a whisper, “I’m scared if I get my hands on you… I won’t… be able to stop.”

Louis lets out a whine. He really shouldn’t have had that talk while he was turned on.

“Pretty sure I wouldn’t want you to stop.” Harry’s groan only contributes to Louis’ arousal.

“But Nick…”  
“Nick is different. I don’t want that with Nick. And he…”

“He what?”

“He smells like lavender.”

“Okay… ?”

“My uncle smelled similar and I just… It.. yeah. But your smell is nothing like that. It’s amazing really. So you have nothing to fear. I know being with you would be nothing like what my uncle did to me.”

Harry swallows.

“Okay.”

“And I trust you Haz’”

Harry nods and smiles slightly.

“Okay.”

If Louis had any doubts on Harry’s attraction to him before, it’s been crushed by that look on his face, by the arousal in their bound and by the tension in the air. In that moment, it’s undeniable.

“Lou, can I kiss you?”

Louis rolls his eyes.

“Harry” Louis sighs, “I hereby give you indefinite permission to kiss me whenever you feel like it. There. You can stop asking me now.”

“Noted.”

Harry beams contagiously.

They both bring their lips together in a hurry, lust completely taking over their bond. Louis’ wolf is quaking in apprehension and he can feel Harry’s excitement above him, he can feel the tightness in his pants. Harry can probably feel his in return. Harry’s hands roam his sides and slip under his shirt, the heat of Harry’s skin sending shivers down his spine. Harry’s lips descend on Louis’ neck as Louis tangles his fingers in Harry’s curls. When Louis feels teeth on the skin underneath his jaw, he jolts, tugging on Harry’s hair and whines. Harry responds with a deep growl, vibrating through Louis’ whole body.

“Can’t wait to mark you right there, where everybody can see.”

The possessiveness in Harry’s voice goes straight to Louis’ dick.

“Harry…”

It comes out as a plead. For what? He isn’t sure. All he knows is he wants more of Harry, he’s craving him, nothing Is enough. Even now, as they’re pressed up against each other, impossibly close, he needs more.

“I got you Lou.”

After ridding Louis of his shirt, Harry reconnects their lips in a passionate kiss. Louis lets his hands explore Harry, his hair, his jaw, his chest, shoulders, back, hips. Harry lets out appreciative sounds as Louis satisfies his curiosity and moans when Louis lets his hands slip underneath Harry’s shirt. Every touch is electrified. Every time their skin connects a thrill runs through them both. Through their bond, he can sense Harry’s desire, as insatiable as his, wanting more.

But Harry isn’t going fast enough. Putting all his strength into it, Louis manhandles Harry and flips them over, hovering over him. Harry, surprised and amused, lets Louis take control and smiles trying to go back to kissing, but Louis pulls back.

“Condoms?”

Harry laughs at Louis’ impatience.

“Nightstand.”

As Louis extends his upper body to open the nightstand drawer, Harry slowly meanders his fingers down Louis’ sides, feeling the goosebumps appearing underneath the small contact. When Louis’ body comes back hovering over him, condom in hand, fumbling with it to open it, Harry lets a hand slide down Louis’ back, under his pants, to his bum. A slight squeeze makes Louis gasp and he has to let go of the condom to brace himself on the bed, arms at Harry’s sides. Harry smiles and squeezes again, loving the whine Louis lets out. He kisses alongside Louis’ neck, both hands on the curve of Louis’ backside, rubbing their erections together. 

“Harry…”

Louis’ forgotten about the condom now discarded on Harry’s side. He’s reduced to a ball of pleasure and senses.

“What do you want Lou?”

Harry’s deep voice in his ear makes him shiver, his lips on his necks are relentless, perfectly slow. Louis tries to get some of his composure back.

“Can I…”

Louis loses his train of thought when Harry’s hands start unbuttoning his pants, never stopping the torture on his neck.

“Yes?”

Right, Louis was talking.

“Can I- r-ride you?”

Panting, Louis’ voice is almost inaudible.

“Lou, I hereby give you indefinite permission to ride me whenever you desire.”

They both laugh breathily.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Frantic, they both help each other out of the rest of their clothes, hands and lips discovering the other’s body hungrily.

Once they’re both fully naked, Harry flips them over again. Louis tries to resist, wanting to stay on top, but Harry easily pins him to the mattress, hovering over him. It’s as frustrating as it is arousing. Unable to flip them again, Louis tries to reason with Harry.

“I want to ride you.”

“I know, but I’m going to prep you first.”

“I don’t need prepping, I’m fine.”

Harry pins Louis’ hands above his head, eyes piercing.

“Louis. I am not going to hurt you even if you ask me to.”

Louis whines and Harry responds with a growl, going back to torturing his neck with his lips, tongue and teeth. Slowly making his way down to his chest. Louis squirms underneath Harry’s iron grip on him.

“I’m going to have to teach you patience aren’t I?”

Louis didn’t know Harry’s voice could go that low, almost reduced to vibrations. Louis moans and bites his bottom lip, interested to know what teaching him patience would entail.

Louis’ glad Harry’s taking control and forces him to go slower. It’s crazy how Harry seems to know what Louis wants before he himself knows it.

He doesn’t really register Harry fetching lube in the nightstand until he feels slick fingers at his entrance, casually circling it. Louis goes to move his hands from above his head, but he gets a pointed look from Harry. Louis doesn’t need their bond to know what it means and keeps his hands there, cock hardening even more, heavy on his stomach, untouched. When Harry works a finger in, gradually, Louis has to look away to stop himself from coming right there end then. If Harry’s touch was electrifying before, now that he’s brushing against one of the most pleasurable spot on his body, it’s intoxicating.

Their bond tells him Harry’s just as inflamed. Braving a look, Louis can see it. Harry’s eyes are glazed over, lips red from biting them, from kissing Louis all over, hair a mess, mostly because of Louis’ hands. Harry looks like he’s in rut. And now that he thinks about it, Louis probably looks like he’s in heat. Louis can’t imagine what it would look like if they actually _were_ in their cycle. They probably wouldn’t go that slow. Harry would already be fucking him. Hard. A finger joins the other one and Louis shivers, he needs more.

“Harry, please.”

“Fuck.” Harry groans. “You already look so… fucked out.”

Louis whines. Harry’s pace is killing him.

“Please…”

“I know, I know.” With his free hand, Harry brushes a finger on his cheek soothingly.

Harry gets another finger in and Louis gasps when they hit his spot. Repeatedly. Louis’ hands grip the sheets tightly. Harry lets out a sound so animalistic, Louis has to check he hasn’t shifted.

“I’m ready, I’m ready, please Harry.” Louis’ begging and he doesn’t care. He needs Harry already. His wolf is restless.

“Okay, okay, shh I got you.”

Louis feels the blunt tip of Harry’s dick for a second before it slips in. As he sinks into him impossibly slow, hands brush against Louis’ shaft and he goes limp underneath harry. He cries out, begging for Harry to go faster. When Harry bottoms out, he gently bites Louis’ bottom lip and Louis clenches around him.

“Fuck Louis. You feel amazing.”

Harry pulls away, taking his time to Louis’ dismay. Shaking from the pleasure radiating in their bond, it’s as if Louis can feel not only his own arousal but Harry’s as well. It’s too much and not enough at the same time. Harry’s panting, undoubtedly just as affected as Louis. He pulls out completely and bottoms out again, gradually picking up the pace, to Louis’ relief.

Louis moves his hands towards his cock, but Harry doesn’t let him, pinning his wrists above his head again with one hand. The other slips between them, rubbing and sending sparks in Louis’ spine. Harry grunts and goes faster and faster, encouraged by Louis’ moans.

“Haz’”

Harry doesn’t let up the quick rhythm he’s now set and Louis sees stars.

“Harry I’m close!”

“Me too.”

Really, they wouldn’t have had to say anything. They both could feel the other on the edge. Their synchronicity going as far as their pleasure. Harry jerks Louis faster, fire pooling low in their abdomens. Time slows as they both dissolve into pleasure. Harry’s hips stutter, deep inside Louis, electric waves going through them both. Harry’s weight on him is pleasant as they both come down, panting.

“Fuck.” Harry’ voice cracks, still in his orgasm aftermath.

“Soulmate sex is…”

“Out of this world.”

“Yeah.”

And it is. The same thing with anyone else would have been great. But with Harry… he could feel so much all at once. Every little thing, every little touch is overwhelming, dizzying. Being able to feel what the other feels, it really does seem out of this world, surreal. And the best thing is, they’ve only just begun discovering each other.

There’s so much to try, Louis doesn’t know how they’ll ever do anything else.


	26. Ephemeral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. Don't crucify me. 
> 
> The chapter is shorter :S I'm overwhelmed with stuff to do right now and I'm not certain I'll survive March :) Sooo it might be that way for another week since I don't want to miss an update, but I don't want my chapters to be shit either. 
> 
> Anyway, sorry :S Hope you enjoy it, even though it's short <3

Louis can’t remember a time he felt that good. Harry and him have barely left their room in two days. You’d think they were in rut or in heat, but they really weren’t. They were just insatiable, wanting to explore every inch of each other. Liam had even brought them water and food at some point. He’d entered covering his eyes with one hand, a tray of sustenance on the other, all the while berating them for their lack of care.

“Lou?”

Harry’s raspy voice barely breaks through Louis’ foggy post orgasmic mind.

“Mm?” Louis refuses to offer any more acknowledgement, still basking in Harry’s scent and warmth.

“You’re hungry…”

Louis groans and buries his face in Harry’s chest.

“No m’not.”

When Liam had brought food, Harry had felt guilty instantly, thinking he hadn’t done a good job of caring for his omega or some archaic crap like that. Frankly, Louis had never eaten that much before the Styles pack. Before, hunger was just part of the deal. Now though, every time he’s only somewhat hungry, Harry falls over his own feet in a rush to cook. It’s frustratingly adorable.

“You _are._ I can feel it.”

Louis groans again. Harry laughs, chin brushing against Louis’ hair as he shakes his head slightly.

When Harry makes to leave, Louis tightens his grip, unwilling to let the source of his warmth go.

“Lou…?”

Louis sighs, “Okay”

Reluctantly, he eases up on his grip and lets Harry detangle himself, face burying into the pillows as soon as Harry’s chest leaves its spot. He thinks Harry left until he feels a hand gently brushing his hair. Turning his head to the side a little, he sees Harry smiling down at him. The returning smile comes naturally.

“You’re really cute.”

Louis tries to control the widening of his smile as Harry bends down to kiss him.

“Love you Lou.”

“Love you too.”

Louis’ grin dissipates slowly as Harry leaves to raid the kitchen, realizing slowly what just happened. Did Harry really tell him he loves him? Did louis really say it back so easily? It feels like a dream and he has to pinch himself to make sure it isn’t. What’s more surprising is, it felt right. It _feels_ right. Louis isn’t second guessing any of it. Just like that, the smile comes back full force. He’s starting to believe that Harry actually loves him, as odd as it sounds. He’d never thought it would be possible, but he’s starting to think that this isn’t just infatuation caused by their natural bond, but that they genuinely love each other. When Harry comes back, struggling to hold half of the fridge’s contents with only two hands, Louis is still staring at nothing, smiling like an idiot.

Yeah. They love each other. Simple. It doesn’t have to be complicated for once.

\---

They’re just finishing the gigantic snack Harry had prepared when there’s a knock at the door.

“Harry?”

Niall’s voice comes out muffled on the other side of the door.

“Yeah? Come in!”

There’s a moment of silence where both Harry and Louis look at the door expectantly, but Niall doesn’t even move the handle.

“Niall?”

“Are you both decent?”

Harry rolls his eyes and Louis laughs.

“Yes, just come in you twat.”

Niall’s smirking as he pokes his head in the room.

“M’sorry to interrupt, but we need you for a council meeting Harry. It’s about… hum… James Scott.”

Louis freezes, carrot half-way to his mouth. He’d naively thought James Scott would just leave them alone. Of course, he wouldn’t. Harry’s putting on pants and a T-shirt when Louis’ brain finally kicks back into gear and lets go of the carrot he was stupidly holding midair. Louis gets up and puts on a pair of jeans just as harry turns to him.

“You don’t have to get up, love, I’ll be back soon.”

Louis’ eyebrows rise up and he blinks slowly, a little offended by Harry’s suggestion.

“There’s no way I’m going back to bed Haz’. I’m coming to the council meeting.”

“Lou…”

“No Harry, this whole James Scott problem is my fault, I’m going to help fix it. It’s the least I can do.”

“I understand but…”

“But what?”

“Louis…”

Louis’ head snaps to Niall who’s still standing in the doorway.

“You can’t attend a council meeting. Not only are you not a council member, but we haven’t had the official ceremony making you part of the pack yet.”

Louis had forgotten about the official ceremony. He’d forgotten he was still not part of the pack.

“And you’re not my mate yet.” Harry’s apologetic eyes are pleading. Louis can see how much the conversation pains him.

Even so, Louis feels like he’s been yanked back to earth violently. Just as he starts to feel like he belongs somewhere, life reminds him he doesn’t. However, Louis has no desire to make things harder when he’s already made such a mess of things with the Scott’s pack. So he deflates and sits back on the bed.

“Right.” Louis shrugs. “Well, keep me updated, yeah?” He’s trying to look unaffected, but there’s no fooling Harry’s worried eyes.

“Of course, we’ll keep you in the loop.” Niall’s small smile tells Louis he isn’t fooled either.

Harry kisses him deeply and longer than Niall is comfortable with before they both hurry out the door.

Louis sighs and looks around the room for something to occupy his mind, to no avail. He decides to get up and try to find Lottie or Liam, knowing if he stays alone he’ll just stress and wallow. 

He doesn’t have to search for long before he picks up on Lottie’s scent outside. He hears her laugh before he sees her, sitting in a coffee shop, book discarded on the table and talking to… his aunt? Although Louis’ a bit weirded out he decides that would be distraction enough from James Scott and the whole “you don’t belong here” moment. They’re both in an animated conversation and don’t notice Louis approaching.

“There’s no way you’ve read that one!

“I have.”

“No way! I had to fight the council to get it ‘cause it was so hard to find!”

“You wouldn’t believe what _I_ had to do to get it…”

“Try me.”

Louis’ never seen his aunt so passionate before. In truth, she used to ignore him or avoid him altogether so he’d never had the opportunity to really talk to her. He’d never been too bothered by it since a lot of people avoided him back in his father’s pack. But now that he sees her having so much fun talking to Lottie, he can’t help the pang of jealousy in his stomach. He has half a mind to turn around and leave them to it, but Joanna sees him.

“Good morning Louis! You can join us if you want!”

It’s hard to refuse the blinding smile she sends her way, especially when Lottie reciprocates it easily. He’s surprised Joanna’s even considering to include him at all.

“Hum. Sure.” Louis sits on the chair next to Lottie, still dazed by Joanna’s enthusiasm.

“You know each other?” Both Joanna and Lottie speak at the same time and giggle at their synchronicity. Louis turns to Lottie,

“She’s my aunt, from my mother’s side.”

Louis doesn’t understand the shock on Lottie’s face, he frowns and turns to Joanna.

“Actually… Louis… I’m glad we’re all here, because I do need to talk to you both.”


	27. Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update!! I hate missing a schedule like this! Hope you'll understand... with the pandemic I had to prioritize a lot of other things and Rogue took a back seat.
> 
> BUT, for the same reason, now i'm going to have a lot of time on my hands! So I'll definitely try to make up for it :D 
> 
> Stay safe, kitten saviours, stay safe. <3

Louis’ head is under water. It’s the only way he can explain the dizziness, the way Joanna’s voice is barely reaching his ears and how hard it is to breathe. 

“So, like… we’re brother and sister?”

“Yes, Lottie, Louis is your brother.”

“Okay... That’s... kinda cool, right?”

Louis’ going to be sick. He tries to respond to Charlotte’s unsure smile, wanting to reassure her but there’s so much information to take in and, really, not much of it has anything to do with Charlotte. She’s actually a beaming light in the darkness that is his family. 

“So… why did Louis call you his aunt?”

Louis couldn’t be more grateful for Lottie right this second. He’s happy to let her ask the questions while he silently freaks out beside her. He has half a mind to flee and ignore Joanna’s presence until she leaves, but he also wants to know. He wants to understand why his biological mother would ignore him altogether, why she’d let him believe a lie all this time. 

Joanna sits up straighter, full of a determination Louis wouldn’t dream to possess.

“Troy Tomlinson used to be a good Alpha. In the beginning both my sister, Kate, and I were confident he would make for an amazing leader. He was able to take hard decisions, but always had the pack’s well being in mind.”

Louis snorts. That’s hard to believe. The Troy Tomlinson he remembers didn’t give a shit about the wellbeing of anyone but himself. 

“I know… He changed a lot.”

“That’s an understatement.” Louis mumbles.

“What changed?” Lottie’s leaning over the table, big eyes, obviously fascinated by the story. Louis’ jealous. He wishes he could have Lottie’s nonchalance about all this. More than anything though, he wishes Joanna would have never showed up in the first place. 

“I’m not sure. He just became colder and colder, more distant. He started making decisions for himself without thinking of the pack.” 

“Like what?”

“He implemented special taxes for werewolves of his pack to fund ‘leadership’, which basically meant his pockets. And… I mean, there are so many examples to choose from, but at some point he even forced an omega girl to mate with his brother…”

“Vaughan”, Louis whispers, tasting the bitterness of the name itself. Joanna nods. 

“Yeah…”

“You never thought of throwing him out?”

Joanna laughs like it’s the most ridiculous idea she's ever heard. Louis smiles sympathetically, knowing the environment Lottie grew up in. 

“He was Alpha, honey. That’s just not… possible…”

Lottie’s about to retort when Louis cuts her off.

“Tomlinson pack doesn’t function like the Styles do, Lots.”

Charlotte still looks like she’s about to argue but purses her lips and nods instead, 

“Right.”

“So he became more and more careless and impulsive. And he was just... obsessed with this one thing...”

Joanna’s eyes meet Louis’ as she struggles to continue. Louis clenches his fists in an attempt to stop them from shaking.

“Obsessed with What?” Charlotte seems too impatient to pick up on the tension. 

“He wanted a son. Someone who could assume leadership after his death.”

Louis knows all too well about his father’s obsession. He remembers countless times Troy would yell at him, resenting the fact he was omega with one breath and despising him for being “defective” with the other. 

“The problem was, Kate kept having miscarriages. She had twelve before he decided to come to me.” 

Charlotte frowns. “What do you mean?”

“He Alpha commanded me to carry his pups.”

Uncomfortable silence settles as they both take in the implications of Joanna’s statement. 

“That’s horrible.” And Charlotte does look horrified, voice barely audible. 

Joanna shrugs and looks away, clearly not willing to dwell on the subject for long. 

“I did as I was told and two months later I was pregnant. With you Louis.”

Louis swallows, holding Joanna’s remorseful gaze. His father was more of an asshole than he’d previously believed. And he never thought _ that _ could be possible. 

“He didn’t want people to know what he’d done so he commanded me to leave for the duration of my pregnancy and to come back with the child only if it turned out to be an alpha male.”

“I turned out to be omega.”

Joanna shakes her head.

“No. Not at first.”

Louis’ confusion must show and Joanna explains further,

“Your scent was akin to an alpha. I really thought you were one and when I came back with you in my arms, Troy did too. It’s only after your first birthday that your scent started to change and you started to show omega traits.”

Louis doesn’t know what to do with the information and decides to store it for a later freak out, since freak out material seems to just pile up. 

“When he thought you were an alpha, your father wanted people to believe you were his and his mate’s, Kate. He didn’t want to compromise your status.”

That sounds like the father Louis knows. Then again, being a bastard _ did _ compromise his right for leadership. 

“So he commanded Kate and I to play along. He commanded me to avoid you, to avoid any contact with you. He commanded her to raise you as her own. We did as we were told.”

“What the fuck! Why the hell would you obey him? Why would you let Louis believe you didn’t even care for him! That’s just terrible!” Charlotte’s outburst strangely soothes Louis. In that moment, he can see how different they both are. Where Lottie fights tooth and nails, Louis looks for the closest exit. He’s glad to see she’s willing to fight the battles he’s too cowardly to even get involved in. 

Joanna looks pleadingly at them both. She goes to answer, but closes her mouth again, tears forming in her eyes. Louis can see how hard she’s trying to hold them in.

“I’m sorry. I tried but… I couldn’t do anything. He Alpha commanded me every time I tried to talk to you Louis. I’m sorry.”

Louis knows how hard it is to disobey a command from an Alpha, especially for omegas. He wouldn’t dream of holding this against her. Besides, all he wants to do at the moment is forgive and forget. especially the forgetting part. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have t-”

“No. It’s not okay. Are you kidding me Louis? _ You _ are able to disobey alpha commands, why the hell wouldn’t she even try? No. ‘Sorry’ doesn’t cut it.” 

“Lots..”

“No Louis, come on, let’s get out of here.”

Louis looks apologetically at Joanna’s pained look.

“Lottie, please.”

“It’s Charlotte for you.”

At that, Charlotte takes Louis’ hand and pulls him out of his chair and out of the coffee shop. Louis senses a strange mix of relief and guilt building up in his chest as Lottie drags him further away from Joanna, his mother. 

\---

Harry blinks a couple times, trying to ignore the echoes of Louis’ current torment. Sure, Louis was visibly sad when he’d left him but his distress only grew bigger and bigger and now Harry has trouble concentrating on Gregory’s report and the map they’re leaning over.

“Harry, you all right?” Niall, always the perceptive one. Harry doesn’t look at him as he answers, trying not to worry Niall further.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Harry does his best to ignore his soulmate’s anguish and looks at Gregory expectantly. “You were saying troops have been gathering on the northern border?”

“Yes. Usually, James Scott’s force isn’t too... worrying. But the volume of soldiers is starting to be alarming. Guards have spotted at least a couple thousand soldiers gathering in this area, which is double the numbers we’re used to with Scott’s pack.”

“Alliance?”

“Most definitely.”

Harry nags on his bottom lip as he thinks of his next move. He finds himself wishing Louis would be next to him, sharing the decision. But he doesn’t have time to daydream and every member of the council is staring at him, waiting for orders.

“Niall, get me an audience with James Scott. Greg, double the guards and keep me updated.”

They both nod and Harry quickly lifts the meeting, anxious to get back to Louis. He has a feeling Louis could prove more than useful in this crisis with Scott’s pack and, more importantly, he’s wolf is crawling out of his skin, wanting to comfort Louis.


	28. Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I naively thought that isolation would make me write more... I was terribly wrong. Turns out, the less I have to do the less I want to do... I'll kick my butt into gear though and stop missing updates!! <3

The quick pace of Lottie’s power walk is hard to keep up with. Especially when you’re trying to get your thoughts together.

“Wait Lottie, stop.”

Not thinking she’d listen, Louis’ taken off guard when she turns around to face him and almost slams into her.

“What?” Lottie, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised waits for an answer.

Louis really didn’t expect for her to give him any attention. Now he has to come up with something to say to a fuming-verging-on-intimidating-Lottie all the while his head is still spinning with the new information Joanna’s thrown at them. To be honest, he’s glad Lottie’s put an end to the conversation just so he could try to make sense of what has already been revealed, but he feels bad for Joanna who only wanted to see her daughter again. He feels like he stole the moment from Joanna and Lottie.

“Don’t you want to talk to your biological mother? Don’t you want to know why she gave you up?”

“I pretty much have all the answers I need, don’t you think? A shit father, a weak ass mother and a pathetic pack.”

“Lots…”

Louis wishes he could have a fraction of her confidence. Still, he thinks it’s a little unfair to summarize what Joanna’s been through so simply without giving her proper time to explain further.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“She’s not weak.”

Louis tries not to cower under Lottie’s infuriated gaze and holds his ground. He’s finding that standing up to people he actually cares about is a lot harder than standing up to idiots like James Scott.

“She ignored her son and gave up her daughter, lived a lie for the best part of her life just to obey an asshole blindly. If that’s not weak, I don’t know what is.”

“It’s more complicated than that. You don’t know how hard it is to ignore alpha orders when you’re an omega, to ignore your wolf’s needs completely. It hurts! Both physically and mentally.”

“_You _can do it.”

“Yeah, but it took a lot and it’s still hard to do even after all those years of practice.”

“Whatever. If you have the will to do it for yourself, she should have been able to do it for her children.” Louis has a hard time arguing with that. He fish mouths for a second, trying to come up with something to say, but Lottie doesn’t give him time to do so. She turns around and starts walking again, effectively ending the conversation. Suddenly exhausted, Louis doesn’t follow her.

All he wants to do is curl up in Harry’s arms and ignore the existence of the outside world. It’s terrifying how addictive Harry’s comfort is becoming. He can’t imagine coping with all of this alone as he’s been doing for the better part of his life. He’s certain now that he wouldn’t survive another exile. It’s with that shuddering thought that he excuses himself from Lottie’s company and concentrates on finding Harry. It’s surprisingly easy.

As he walks towards the familiar scent, he realizes Harry’s also walking up towards him. That simple fact, the knowledge that Harry is seeking him out too, eases up some of the tension in his shoulders and the pounding in his head. Drained and confident Harry will find him, Louis sighs and sits on a bench. Letting his head rest back, he looks up at the sky and tries not to think of Joanna or his father. Of course, it’s all he can think about. His mind keeps going back to one single memory…

_Louis’ found the best spot to pick up flowers for his mother. It’s one way he’s figured out to make her smile at him. Most times, his mother is annoyed at him, like he’s asking too much of her time, but when he brings her a bouquet, usually, she smiles, thanks him and, carefully, puts it in a vase at the very center of the kitchen island. Louis is always proud to see the vase full of flowers he meticulously picked out._ _He’s currently choosing the most colorful flowers he can find when he smells one distinctive flower that isn’t growing there; lavender. By now, Louis knows what that means. He looks around for an escape route, but he’s alone at the edge of the forest. Tears well up in his eyes as he hears footsteps approaching behind him. He swallows them back, not wanting to give the satisfaction to his uncle. _

_“Oh Louis… you really shouldn’t be out here all alone.”_

_Louis swallows and keeps his eyes on the ground. He shuts them when he feels a rough hand caressing his cheek. Just as Louis thinks of running, his uncle beats him to it. _

_“_Don’t move.”_ Louis tries to ignore the alpha command with all his might, but it’s harder than disobeying Oli or Stan. He’s stuck, crouching down over a bed of flowers, vulnerable, while his uncle can do whatever he wants. His uncles lips are on his neck when Louis detects another scent. Maybe. Maybe someone’s going to save him. To tell his uncle to back off. _

_His uncle groans and backs away abruptly when they hear footsteps behind them._

_“You can move now, but don’t say a word.” Louis sighs and instantly stands up. Joanna, his aunt is walking towards them. Louis doesn’t know what she saw. He hopes words won’t be needed, he hopes she picked up on his uncle’s intentions. _

_To Louis’ dismay, once she’s next to them, she ignores Louis’ presence completely._

_“Vaughan! I was looking for you.”_

_“Were you?”_

_His uncle’s jaw is set tight and Louis can see how annoyed he is of the interruption._

_“Yes. My oven broke last night and since you’re so good with this stuff, I thought maybe you could take a look at it?”_

_Louis wants to scream for Joanna to realize what’s going on, to tell someone, to stand up for Louis. But he can’t say anything. His wolf has to obey. He tries to tell his wolf to go to hell, but as soon as he opens his mouth to say something, it hurts so much it feels like he’s been stabbed in the stomach. _

_“Of course Joanna, I would be happy to.” Louis recognizes the sweetness of his uncle’s voice. It’s the one he uses to get what he wants, to appear like a good person, to fool anyone who might doubt his intentions. _

_“I’ll come by later today.”_

_Louis inhales sharply. Joanna can’t leave them alone again. Not when Vaughan is that annoyed. It would be ten time worse. But then, Joanna insists._

_ “Could you see to it now? I’m sorry to put you out of your way like this, but I’m supposed to have guests tonight and I’m in desperate need of a functioning oven as you will understand.”_

_Vaughan looks at Louis angrily, as if he’d broken Joanna’s oven and orchestrated the whole thing. He turns back toward Joanna with a tight smile, accepting defeat. _

_“Sure.”_

_Louis didn’t realize he was shaking until he’s uncle is out of sight along with his aunt. He goes back to picking up flowers for his mother. Still hoping to make her smile._

\---

“Lou?”

Louis startles out of his thoughts and tears his eyes away from the sky in favor of looking at a worried Harry sitting down beside him.

“Are you okay?”

Harry’s frowning and worrying his bottom lip. It’s so evident that he cares about whether Louis is all right or not. Louis smiles slightly and nods, if only to reassure Harry and make that frown go away. Louis closes his eyes when a soft hand caresses his cheek gently. He turns and kisses it, smiling a little more genuinely.

“What happened?” Harry’s whispering, hand still on Louis’ cheek, as if worried that simple question will send Louis into distress again. Louis sighs and scoots closer to Harry, resting his head on his shoulder. Harry responds instantly, wrapping his arms around him, like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly.

“I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

“Okay.”

Harry seems to understand exactly what Louis wants in that moment. Although he’s probably curious to know what upset him, he accepts that all Louis needs is to sit in Harry’s arms, basking in the comforting scent of rain.


	29. Oh Lou...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... it's not Monday... is it?
> 
> In all honesty, Mondays are overloaded with Uni deadlines right now, so I'm going to try Saturdays instead until the end of the semester.
> 
> BUT don't worry, I'll do my best to upload a chapter before nest Saturday, so you don't have to wait that long for the next update.
> 
> <3

Louis’ wrapped in cotton, floating in space. Time doesn’t exist. All that exists is Harry, his scent, and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes slowly in and out. Louis knows he’s on the verge of dropping. Normally he would want to get out of that state as fast as possible, scared to be so vulnerable, but now, oddly, he can’t bring himself to care. Harry’s the one to break the spell and pull Louis out of it,

“So…”

The sound vibrates underneath Louis’ cheek. The omega sighs, reluctant to come back to earth.

“So?”, Louis repeats, knowing exactly where Harry wants to get to.

“Do I have to send Joanna away?”

Louis sighs again and slightly shakes his head from side to side. Even though he’d prefer for Joanna never to have shown up, she didn’t do anything wrong. Silence settles as Harry ponders, fingers playing with his bottom lip absentmindedly. The setting sun provides a delicate orange toned backlighting to Harry’s curls and Louis tries to clear his head of any other images.

“You would tell me right? If someone hurt you?”

Louis bites his bottom lip, knowing Harry won’t like the honest answer. He could lie, but, with their bond, Harry would probably know.

“I don’t know…”

“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”

“Well can you blame me? You’re really… protective.”

“I’m not that protective.”

“Harry, come on. You almost ripped Niall’s head off when he stole a piece of chicken from my plate yesterday.”

“Well…. He had no business stealing your food. He had his own and I didn’t prepare it for him so…”

Louis lifts his head up to meet Harry’s gaze. They stare at each other until Harry visibly deflates.

“Okay, you’re right. I might be a bit protective, but still, you need to tell me if someone’s hurting you Lou.”

Louis frowns. He’s had enough of being babied. He’s been on his own for almost a decade and has endured way worse.

“Harry, I _can_ take care of myself, yeah? I’ve done that for years. I’m fine.”

“Look Louis, I know you can look after yourself perfectly well. I know you’ve had to do that for years without anyone’s help but I also know when you’re hurting, I know when you’re distressed, I know when you need help even though you don’t want to ask for it. It kind of comes with being soulmates. You might be able to fool everyone else with this ‘I’m fine’ crap, but you won’t fool me. I know you were really upset while I was gone and I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Joanna. You don’t have to tell me what she said or did, but I, at least, need to know if she’s a threat to you or the pack.”

If he’s honest with himself, Louis has no desire to keep anything from Harry even if he could. Really, his reluctance is only rooted in fear of becoming too much to handle for Harry when the Alpha already has so much on his plate. But he _wants_ Harry to know what Joanna said. He _wants _him to know what happened exactly. In truth, he deeply craves Harry’s advice on how to deal with this mess. He’s had to carry the burden of decision alone all his life and now all he wants to do is share it with someone he trusts. And he might trust Harry more than he trusts himself.

Louis sighs and rests his head back on Harry’s chest.

“Okay.”

Silence falls back on them as Harry brushes his fingers up and down Louis’ arms, sending shivers down Louis’ spine.

“So… is she?”

Louis smiles at Harry’s persistence.

“She’s not a threat Harry. She just wanted to see Lottie, her daughter. Then she saw me and I fucked it up for everyone as usual.”

“Somehow I strongly doubt that.”

Of course Harry would automatically take his side in all of this. Harry still has this distorted perception of Louis. He wonders if he could do anything wrong in Harry’s eyes. Problem is, he needs a clear minded opinion, not a biased one.

“I did fuck it up Haz’… If I weren’t there, Joanna would have happily reunited with her daughter and bonded over books and whatnot. But I had to insert myself in their reunion.”  
“Why would your presence change any of that?”

“Because Harry.” Louis lifts his head up again, meeting Harry’s confused frown. “Joanna wasn’t expecting to see me and she felt obligated to explain that she isn’t my aunt but my biological mother. And then Lottie got mad and she stormed off.”

Harry blinks slowly, eyebrows raising in surprise. If Louis thought he looked confused before, it’s nothing compared to how he looks now.

“Wait… what? Back up a bit. Joanna is your mother? I thought she was your aunt?”

In all fairness, Louis should probably give Harry all the information before he expects him to form an opinion. So that’s what he does. He tells Harry how his father forced Joanna to carry his son and how she was forced to basically ignore Louis’ existence all those years. Half way through the story, Louis lets his head rest on Harry’s chest again, finding that talking while staring at the woods is easier than when he’s directly looking at Harry. That’s how, surprising himself, Louis goes further in telling the story then he’d planed. Louis feels the need to tell Harry how Joanna saved him from his uncle once, as if to defend Joanna, make sure Harry knows she did her best.

“I wasn’t sure if she knew. I thought maybe it was just a happy coincidence, that her oven did break and that she was looking for my uncle to fix it. I mean people always asked Vaughan for these kinds of things so it made sense. But now, I’m not so sure… I think maybe she knew what my uncle was up to and she wanted to get him away from me. I don’t know… what do you think?”

Harry hums, the sound deep underneath Louis’ resting head.

“Well, first thing’s first. You didn’t fuck up Joanna and Lottie’s reunion, so you can stop saying you did.”

Louis rolls his eyes, but decides to let it go. Harry’s biased and Louis’ starting to believe there’s nothing he could do wrong in Harry’s eyes.

“And second, I think you should ask her about her intentions that day.”

Louis nods. Although he’d irrationally wished for Harry to tell him what Joanna had intended to do, he knows the only person that can really clear this up is, of course, Joanna.

They both loose themselves in their thoughts again. Louis’ vaguely aware of the sun setting fully and the air getting a bit colder around them. But Harry’s warmth is still enough to lull him into a comfort he’d prefer never to leave. Harry’s reassuring strokes on his arm and occasional kisses on the top of his head add to the sweetness of their shared contemplative moment.

“Lou?” Harry’s voice is barely above a whisper, tentative.

“Hmm?”

When Harry doesn’t elaborate, Louis opens his eyes and looks up. Harry seems apprehensive, it’s not a look he wears often and it has Louis slightly worried.

“What is it?”

Harry stops biting his lip and looks into Louis’ eyes, resolved.

“I agree with Lottie. Joanna should have told you the truth, she should have found a way. And she kept on ignoring you for all those years… that’s just not right.”

Louis breaks eye contact. He’s starting to believe that werewolves brought up in a pack like the Styles’ can’t really understand how it is to live in a pack like the Tomlinson’s. They think it’s easy to go off and do your own thing because, here, they’re all so accepting of everyone, regardless of who they are, of their preferences. Louis’ happy that a place like this exists, but, in all fairness, they wouldn’t last a day in the Tomlinson pack.

“You don’t understand Harry. She was forced to act this way. It’s not really fair to hold it against her.”

“I understand your father alpha commanded her but she should have disobeyed, she should have found a way around it.”

“Why do everyone think it’s easy to ignore an alpha command all of a sudden?”

“_You_ can do it. So why couldn’t she?”

Louis exhales and closes his eyes, annoyed.

“It’s not that easy.”

Harry stays silent for a moment, as if to let Louis calm down a bit before continuing,

“Lou, I love you, but you do have a tendency to forgive too easily.”

Louis frowns. He really doesn’t think that he does. He hasn’t forgiven his uncle, his father or any Alpha he’s come across that’s discarded him like a piece of trash. There are a ton of people Louis isn’t too fond of and lets himself be mad at. But when he thinks about it, when it comes to people he cares about, he does excuse a lot pretty quickly.

“If you can count on one hand the number of people who care about you… you can’t really afford to get mad at them, can you?”

“Oh Lou…”

Just as Louis’ about to hide his face in Harry’s chest, embarrassed, there’s a gentle hand underneath his chin lifting his face upwards instead. Louis opens his mouth to apologize but Harry’s lips cut him off. The kiss is quick but soft, soothing a heaviness in Louis’ chest he didn’t realize was there.

“I understand what you’re saying, but you still need to stand up for yourself. Lottie’s right. Joanna should have fought harder for you and you have a right to be mad.”

The sincerity in Harry’s eyes is overwhelming. Louis looks away and lets Harry’s words sink in. Deep down, he knows he’s right, but there’s a part of him that’s still scared Joanna will hate him, that craves her love and validation more than anything else. 


	30. Teach me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Monday! And guess what? I'm back for weekly updates! :D
> 
> I'm so sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter. The end of my semester was brutal. I had to finish an actual manuscript for my professor and it was madness. But I made it :) With a book that i'll be able to send to editors! :D And now I can go back to updating every Monday :)
> 
> Thank you for being patient with me -Xx

_“Mother?”_

_Louis steps forward, hoping to get his mother’s attention to no avail. As if made of stone, her eyes never budge from the book she’s reading. Louis knows not to speak out of terms and decides to wait until she acknowledges his presence in the room. She barely does, eyes still glued to the page in front of her._

_“I’m busy Louis, can it wait?”_

_Of course she’s busy, Louis should have known better. He bites his lip and looks down at the bouquet of flowers he intended to give her, ashamed to have disturbed his mother. _

_“Sorry, it can wait yeah.”_

_“Good.”_

_The pending anger in that simple word stops Louis from adding anything else. He scurries away and opts to put the flowers in a vase, placing them right at the center of the kitchen table. Hopefully she’ll notice come dinner time. _

“And so we thought maybe you could teach him what you’ve learned. What do you think?”

Louis blinks twice. Right. Greg is talking. The council’s looking at Louis as if they expect him to says something. What did Greg say? They want him to teach someone something?

“Hum. Sorry what?”

“Lou? Are you okay?” Louis turns towards Harry’s worried expression. Louis has a habit of bringing that expression forward often. It’s a skill. One he has no control over apparently.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m great.” Louis tries for a reassuring smile and probably delivers a very uncomfortable looking one instead. Oh well… He’s learned pretty quickly that there’s no fooling a soulmate anyway.

“Just zoned out for a bit, sorry. You want me to teach who what?”

Greg sends a stern look Harry’s way, as if to blame him for Louis’ short attention span which Louis finds a bit revolting. They might be soulmates, but Louis still has full control over his actions. If Greg wants to be pissed at someone it should be Louis.

“As Niall Kindly explained to you earlier, or maybe you didn’t listen to him either, we believe James Scott has made an alliance with another pack, thus the reinforcements in his border troops. We need to send a spy to collect information on that new alliance and they thought-“

Harry coughs loudly, momentarily interrupting Greg who corrects himself,

“_We_ thought that you could train our spies.” Judging by the tautness in Greg’s jaw, it pains him to ask for Louis’ help. As he takes in the other members of the council though, everybody else seems completely at ease with the request. Even Allan Style displays a kind smile, as if encouraging Louis to accept.

Louis’ confused. What is it that they want him to teach? He can’t imagine being of much value to such a powerful handful of people.

“I… don’t think that I can.”

Greg uncrosses his arms, a satisfied smirk on his face.

“I told you it was pointless.”

“Shut up Greg.” Although Niall’s voice is calm, his eyes send daggers towards Greg.

Harry turns to Louis beside him, grabbing Louis’ chair and swiveling it so that they face each other.

“Louis, what are you talking about? You can’t or you won’t?”

Now Louis couldn’t be more puzzled.

“If I could help you, I would. I just…” Louis shrugs, “I don’t know what you want me to teach your spies that they don’t already know.” Harry shakes his head, a small smile tracing his lips.

“Lou”, Harry sighs, “trust me, they’d be lucky to learn anything from you.”

Louis furrows his eyebrows, trying to figure out what it is they’re talking about.

“Like what?”

“Exactly my point”, Greg murmurs under Niall’s rigid stare.

“Like how you knew Zayn was following you when you first arrived here.” Catherine says in a soft tone.

“Or how you managed to lose his tail a couple of times.” Niall says, eyes still glaring at Greg.

Louis turns back to Harry,

“Can’t your spies already do that?” Immediately after saying it, Louis realizes he might have offended the whole council, but Harry’s smile only grows a bit and Louis internally sighs in relief.

“Zayn is one of them. And you outsmarted him more than once. So… sure, they’re good, but you’re better.”

It’s surprising to see a pack Alpha admit to a weakness so casually and Louis can’t help but smile back at him.

“So… will you help?” Niall’s now looking at Louis expectantly, as is the rest of the council. Although Louis isn’t sure he can really help that much, he doesn’t see a problem in trying.

“Sure. I’ll do what I can.”

\---

There’s this place between sleep and consciousness, a fuzzy state. Comfortably lethargic. That’s where Louis is, cuddled up to his soulmate. They’d put on a film they both knew they wouldn’t really watch. As other wolves gathered in the living room, close to their Alpha, Louis basked in the feeling of finally being part of a group. He’d let himself get lost in that fuzzy reassuring state.

He’s vaguely aware of a strange vibration in his chest. As he feels Harry smile above his head and place a quick kiss there, he realizes he’s purring again. Stranger though, he doesn’t care. He simply smiles and lets the moment engrave his memory. They’re both lulled to sleep, Louis almost lost in dreams when he hears sudden shouting in the corridor.

“I’m sorry! Niall! Please, wait! Can we talk about this? Niall!”

Louis’ head snaps up, making Harry jerk awake in the process.

“What’s – “ Harry’s interrogation is cut off by Niall speed walking towards the entrance, crossing the living room in a gust of wind, Zayn on his heels.

“Niall please stop!”

“No! I need some air.”

Louis can see it; an alpha command burning Zayn’s lips just as Niall gets a hand on the door knob.

“I said _stop_.”

_There it is_. Louis purses his lips, frustrated for Niall who’s now stuck in the doorway. He turns around slowly with a glacial glare, enough to bring a chill down Louis’ spine even though he isn’t even the receiver of it. Zayn looks down and sighs heavily. He finally decides to relieve Niall of the command, seemingly understanding Niall needs a moment. 

“Okay, get some air, we’ll talk later.” Niall doesn’t let up his angry stare as he turns around and opens the door. Just before stepping out however, he turns towards Louis briefly,

“Are you coming or what?”

“Me?”

“Who else?”

Niall doesn’t wait for him. Louis scrambles to untangle himself from Harry’s arms ignoring his discontent sigh and struggles not to step on any tails or limbs as he makes his way to the door.

Once outside, Niall has a good advance on him, power walking towards the woods and it takes a minute for Louis to catch up.

“Where are we going?”

“In the city. We’re going to drink until we can’t walk straight anymore. You in?”

Louis’ never seen Niall like that. A determined angry look on his face. He looks like he could burn the forest down without batting an eye. Louis has a feeling he should just go with it. He can’t deny he hasn’t been out of headquarters for a while and he’d be happy to finally venture out.

“Sure!”

Niall doesn’t waist a second before shifting into his wolf form. Louis follows suit.

\---

The waiter, a middle aged, bulky man, drops a pitcher of beer loudly in the center of their scrawny round table.

“There you go lads, can I get you anything else?”

Just as Louis starts answering with the negative, Niall interrupts,

“Yep. We’ll need another one after this, and then another one.”

“You sure it’s wise for such a small fellow to drink that much?”

Louis’ beginning to understand the power of Niall’s glacial stare. The waiter puts his hand up in surrender, “Keep’em coming, got it.”

Louis waits for Niall’s stare to merge into a gentler one before asking the question that’s been burning his lips since they arrived.

“So… what was that with Zayn earlier? You guys are fighting?” Louis tries to keep a casual tone, perceiving that Niall doesn’t want

“Yeah… it’s stupid. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Mhmm. That’s why you dragged me out here. To not talk about it.”

“Exactly.”

Niall proceeds to fill his glass and immediately takes a sip or more of a pretty big swig. Scratch that, he gulps half of it down then lets the glass fall back loudly on the table.

“It’s just. He’s being an idiot. Like, I know Liam and him are up to something. I always do. They’re the easiest fuckers to read. Honestly. He’s been fidgety all day and Liam too and they won’t tell me what’s up. It’s annoying. I asked him what’s wrong and he straight up lied to me. As if I wouldn’t fucking know. I know Louis. I know when people lie. I know when they’re hiding something. Usually Zayn and Liam… we tell each other everything. They’ve never been secretive. They’ve never kept me out of the loop like this. I hate it. I hate them. You know?”

“I’m glad you didn’t want to talk about it.”

Niall snorts and takes another swig of beer.

“Shut up.” Niall’s tone is considerably lighter. Louis smiles and takes a sip of his own drink. He’s realizing now that he’s never done that in his life. Getting drinks with a friend. He likes it. Hopefully he won’t fuck this up and Niall will want to do that again.

“You know Niall, I don’t know what they’re hiding but maybe it isn’t as bad as you think. And maybe they need to tell you on their own time. Everybody has some stuff they’re hiding, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Niall’ silent for a moment, contemplating his beer. Then he shrugs.

“Maybe.”

Louis senses he shouldn’t push further on that topic. After all, Niall brought him here because he needed a distraction, not a therapist.

“Niall?”

“Mmm.”

“How do you read people? You said you know when someone’s lying, how do you know?”

“Body language. I’ve studied how to analyze someone’s demeanor. It’s not an exact science but if you understand it properly it does give you a good idea of what someone else is thinking. When I met Liam he was certain I could straight up read minds. I think he still believes it sometimes.” Louis laughs and Niall follows suit, shaking his head.

“He’s an idiot.” Niall’s fond is transparent in his tone and his eyes. It warms Louis up to see someone love so blatantly.

“You love them.”

“I do. Like you do Harry.”

That has Louis pausing, taking another sip of beer. Is Louis that blatant too? Does his infatuation with Harry show that much?

“Would you teach me?”

Niall’s eyebrows rise up, head tilting slightly in silent question.

“To read people?”

“Yeah.”  
“It takes a long time to learn Louis, I studied it for years.”

Louis shrugs,

“I’ve got time.”

Niall smirks.

“All right let’s make a deal.” There’s a rebellious glint in Niall’s eyes and Louis already knows he’s all in.

“I want to know how to ignore alpha commands. You teach me that and I’ll tell you how I read people.”

That’s the easiest decision Louis has ever taken. In his opinion every omega should learn how to disobey anyway.

“Deal.”


	31. Sergeant Tomlinson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's all pretend it's Monday, okay? Okay. 
> 
> <3

“Argh! Crap.” Niall groans, bending down to tie his shoes for the twelfth time.

“Can we change the command? I’m getting really fucking tired of tying and untying my shoes.”

Louis snorts remembering how many times he’d done the exact same thing years ago.

“Sure. How about picking up a stick?”

Niall nods, “As long as it has nothing to do with tying laces anymore.”

“Okay with you Nick?”

Nick shrugs from where he’s sitting on the ground, a bored look on his face.

“Whatever you say Lou bear.”

Louis has to restrain himself not to punch Nick’s smirk off of his face.

“Don’t call me that.”

Nick isn’t the strongest alpha Louis’ ever met, but he has a strong enough alpha voice and it’s a good starting point for Niall. Also, he’d agreed not to say anything to Harry, Liam or Zayn. Seeing how Harry scared him to death last time, Louis is fairly confident he won’t try anything.

“Now Niall, there’s this trick I used to do in the beginning, it might help. While he’s saying a command, think of another one in your head. A simple one, like tapping your foot on the floor, something discreet and easy. You can even say it out loud for now. This way, you fool your wolf into choosing between two tasks and it can help it let go of the alpha one.”

Niall nods, but a crease forms between his eyebrows, one that Louis recognizes by now. Niall always has the same expression right before asking a question.

“When Harry commanded you not to go after Zayn, is that what you did?”

“Well… not really. This is sort of a crotch. I don’t really need to do that anymore. Although Harry was hard to ignore, I don’t have to fight my wolf as much as I did before.”

“I see. So Harry was harder to ignore?” Niall has this scrutinizing look again, like he’s trying to uncover every one of Louis’ secrets. It’s unnerving. Louis coughs and opts to ignore Niall’s last question.

“All right, let’s go again. You ready Nick?” For the third time this morning, Louis gets no response. Surely enough, when Louis looks over to Nick’s position, he’s fallen asleep against a tree. Louis rolls his eyes and goes over to him. For the third time.

“Ow! You punched me!”

“I flicked your nose. I’d hardly call that punching. Now come on. We’re trying again.”

Nick groans and sits straighter.

“Why did we have to this so early anyway.” Nick grumbles. Louis’ content just to glare at him until he complies. He’s found that to be the most effective.

“Fine. Niall, _Pick up that sick_.”

Niall’s face contorts as he struggles to stay immobile. After a few seconds, he groans and bends down to obey Nick’s command.

“Good.” Louis nods, fairly happy with Niall’s progress.

Niall sighs, frustrated.

“Good? We’ve been at it for an hour and I can’t even disobey a simple task. How is that good?”

“You’re holding up longer now and that’s a good sign. You gotta be patient, don’t get discouraged. Did you think of another task?”

Niall sighs, “Honestly? I couldn’t think of anything else but to pick up the stick. This shit’s hard.”

“Let’s try again, yeah?”

Niall straightens up and nods.

Hiding and training in the forest like this, the determination on Niall’s face, it all brings back memories with Oli and Stan. They’d been so patient with him. Always believing in Louis’ capability to do it even though they’d never seen any omega ignore an alpha command before. Louis didn’t have anyone to guide him and tell him how to work around the commands and, for him, the stakes were higher. If he’d gotten caught by his father or his uncle, he’d have been in real dangerous trouble.

Still, he feels for Niall. Even if it isn’t a matter of life or death, it’s horrible not to have total control over your own actions.

They’d woken up before sunrise to avoid any questions and now that the sun starts to warm up the morning dew, they decide to call it.

“Thanks Nick, we really appreciate you doing this.” Louis reluctantly says before they go their separate ways.

“Yeah. I just hope Alpha Styles doesn’t kill me when he finds out.” Nick says as he backs away towards headquarters.

Louis rolls his eyes.

“Stop being dramatic. And anyway, there’s no reason for him to find out.”

“Yeah, I’m sure your soul bond with him won’t ever give it away.”

Louis doesn’t have time to reply before Nick’s out of sight. They all know he’s right, but Louis hopes Harry won’t be too mad at him for keeping this a secret. Actually, he hopes he can slowly convince him that omega emancipation would be good for every omega in the pack. He just has to find a way to bring it up.

\---

“Hey Lou! Glad you could make it.”

Zayn’s embrace startles Louis but he reciprocates it. Decidedly, he’ll never get used to being surrounded by kind werewolves.

“Of course. I’m happy to help.”

“Sorry for the early rise, Greg prefers it that way. He’s a sadist.” Zayn deadpans and Louis laughs, happy to know he isn’t the only one who thinks Gregory’s a bit cold.

“Don’t worry about it. I was already up anyway.” Louis says, without thinking.

“You were?”

_Oops._

“Hum. Yeah.”

Just as Louis desperately searches for a reason he’d be up before sunrise, Gregory approaches them with his usual warm and cuddly look. Louis jumps on the opportunity to change topics.

“Good morning Greg.” Gregory arches an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“Louis.”

Uncomfortable silence settles before Zayn breaks it,

“Okay… Let me introduce you to the group first. Then you can do your thing.”

“Hum, sure. But what exactly do you need me to do?”

Gregory snorts. Zayn glares at him before turning to Louis again.

“A demonstration. Just follow my lead.”

Zayn reassembles the werewolves who were scattered on the training grounds, warming up.

“Good morning every one. Training today will be a tad different. Now you probably already know of him, but let me introduce him anyway.”

The dozen of werewolves gathered in front of Zayn start to whisper and Louis hears his name a couple of times. It’s clear nobody else but Zayn thinks he has anything to offer to the training session.

“Louis? Could you come here for a sec?” Although he’d prefer for the ground to swallow him whole he walks as confidently as possible towards Zayn’s post.

“This is Louis Tomlinson. He’s been staying here for a while now and he’s kindly accepted to help train you idiots into lesser idiots. From now on, you’ll refer to him as Sergeant Tomlinson. Believe me when I tell you, you have a great deal to learn from him so pay attention.” As Zayn inhales, ready to continue, a hand rises amidst the small crowd. Zayn sighs.

“Go ahead Chris”

“Forgive me commander Malik, but isn’t he Alpha Styles’ soulmate? Isn’t he omega?”

Zayn’s glare rivals Niall’s and Louis’ impressed.

“Sergeant Tomlinson’s skills are worth more than all of you shitheads combined. The fact that he’s that good and an omega only makes you lot look like even bigger fools.”

Louis wishes Zayn wouldn’t create such a hype around what he can do.

“Now, are you all done with your dumb questions? Can we actually start working?” After a unanimous “yes sir”, Zayn turns towards Louis,

“You ready to demonstrate?”

Louis nods and tries not to show how worried he is he'll let Zayn down.


	32. How to lose a tail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? Missing an update? Me? Never. Didn't happen. <3

“Who can tell me what happened to Gabriel Hudson in the WD case twenty years ago?”

Silence falls as Zayn waits for an answer. To no avail.

“Anyone?” Zayn sighs, visibly disappointed and Louis wishes he knew what the hell the WD case was. He’s honestly wondering what Zayn’s brought him here for. Finally, a dainty hand raises above the group, a beta woman on the smaller side, wide green eyes waiting for permission to speak. Zayn nods, encouraging her to go on.

“Gabriel Hudson was the spy who discovered WD’s fraudulent documents. He wanted to give them to the media but he was followed. He ended up leading WD straight to the journalists he was supposed to meet. They were all killed including agent Hudson and the documents were destroyed.”

“Thank you Sarah. Nice to know at least one of you paid attention in case study classes. Can someone tell me what Gabriel Hudson should have done?”

The one Louis now recognizes as Chris snorts,

“Not get caught in the first place.”

Zayn raises an unimpressed eyebrow,

“Sure, but getting caught happens. It’s part of the job. What else?”

Another woman’s hand rises from the back of the group. An alpha, according to her scent.

“Agent Hudson should have known he was being followed and should have lost his tail before meeting the journalists.”

“Thank you Eleanor, that’s exactly right. But, it’s easier said than done and that’s why I’ve asked Louis to come.”

Louis has never seen Zayn smirk that way. Like he knows something no one else does. And he probably does since Louis still has no idea how he’s going to demonstrate losing a tale. Every time he’s done that he didn’t really know what he was doing. He was always improvising every step of the way. 

“Here.” Zayn holds out a folded piece of paper for Louis to take, which he does, with a confused frown. As Louis unfolds the paper to discover an address written on it, Zayn turns to Gregory who’d been silently watching sidelines, his signature frown on display.

“Officer Carston, we’ll need your participation if you don’t mind.”

Greg looks taken aback by the request, eyebrows shooting up and mouth hanging open for a second before hesitantly morphing back to a frown.

“Hum.”

“Your expertise would definitely add a great deal to the lesson I’m sure.”

The flattery isn’t subtle in any way, but Gregory seems extremely content with Zayn’s statement nonetheless. Puffing his chest, he nods,

“Anything I can do to help.”

Zayn’s smirk grows into a full blown grin and Louis has the feeling Gregory will like him even less after today.

“Good. Now, trainees, you’ll follow me to a specific location. I’ll ask Gregory and Louis to give us a head start. I’ve given Louis the address, Gregory doesn’t know it. He’ll need to follow Louis if he wants to get there. Louis, you will try to lose him. Simple enough?”

Louis smirks, happy to accept the challenge while Gregory snorts, obviously doubting Louis’ capabilities to lose him.

“This is a situation you’re bound to face on the field. Knowing how to lose a tale properly is detrimental to your work.”

Zayn turns to Gregory,

“Don’t worry officer, I’ll text you the address once Louis gets there.”

As Louis shoves the folded piece of paper in his pocket, he can see how hard Gregory tries to keep a straight face but his set jaw and sudden redness all over give his annoyance away. Zayn winks and leads the group of trainees away from them both.

As they wait in uncomfortable silence to give them a head start, a plan slowly forms in Louis’ mind. The way Zayn had played on the officer’s ego to make him participate in the exercise gives him an idea. Louis forces himself to fidget, crossing and uncrossing his arms, touching his face, transferring his weight from one foot to the other. As he does so, Gregory’s cold expression changes too. There’s more confidence in his stance. Louis can almost see a smirk forming on the officer’s lips.

_Good. Bring it on._

After a good ten minutes where Louis plays the part of a small insecure and unexperienced omega and Gregory could break his back puffing his chest the way he does, Louis speaks, stuttering,

“W-we should probably, hum, get going. What do you think?”

Gregory smirks and shrugs, arms still crossed,

“It’s your call. You know how far the location is.”

Louis gulps, hoping he’s not doing too much, but by Gregory’s expression he’s buying every second.

“Right, yeah, my call. Hum. Okay, well let’s go then.”

Gregory purses his lips in an obvious attempt not to grin, “Lead the way.”

Louis goes for one direction, hesitates, then turns the opposite way. Hopefully, Gregory will fall for his bluff and think the location is the other way around.

As he leads Gregory towards Lottie’s bench he has to contain a sigh of relief seeing her there. Of course, she has a discarded book on her lap while she scribbles in her journal. She’d shown him once how she’d write her thoughts and comments on what she’d just read. 

Louis makes sure the bench is behind Greg before turning to him. Louis pushes Greg and tries to make a run for it. Of course, big muscle Greg’s reaction is to grab Louis’ arm.

“Not so fast.” Gregory mutters, rolling his eyes at Louis’ pitiful attempt to lose him. Louis pulls on his arm, but Gregory is much stronger, the fight isn’t fair at all and Louis is counting on it.

“Ouch! Get off of me!” Louis screams and Gregory groans,

“What are you playing at?”

“Hey! Leave him alone you big brute!” At Charlotte’s outraged voice Louis can’t help but smile slightly. Gregory looks up, genuinely surprised, hand still holding on to Louis’ arm quite forcefully.

“I-no wait, you don’t get it.”

Louis tries to shove Gregory away, unsuccessfully of course,

“Let go! You’re hurting me!”, It’s not difficult to act hurt when Gregory’s hold gets tighter and tighter.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you’re not getting away.” Gregory whispers between gritted teeth, just as Charlotte approaches them. She instantly pushes Gregory with more force than Louis had thought her capable. Gregory lets go of Louis more out of shock than anything else.

“This doesn’t concern you. Back off.”

While Gregory’s occupied staring down Lottie, Louis slips behind Greg.

“Do you want me to get Harry? I’m sure he’d be happy to make it he’s business.”

“Look, little girl, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Y-“

“Little girl? Say that again, see what happens!”

Gregory’s red angry face enters Charlotte’s personal space, in a clear attempt to intimidate her.

“You think you can take me little girl?”

“Watch me.”

They stare at each other angrily, in silence until Gregory seems to remember something and turns away. Just in time to catch Louis silently slipping away.

“Not so fast kid!”

Louis sighs, as if he’d been caught and walks back towards Greg. He sighs again, accepting his loss.

“It’s okay Lottie, it was a misunderstanding, don’t worry about it.” Lottie gapes, confused and Louis takes Greg’s arm, leading him away.

“Come on Greg, let’s take a walk and talk about this. Thanks Lottie, have a good day!”

They’re walking away when Lottie’s surprise subdues.

“But-wait, are you sure?”

Louis turns as he walks beside Greg and winks to reassure her,

“We’re great Lottie, thanks.”

Charlotte frowns but lets it go.

“Nice try kid.”, Gregory says once they’re out of earshot.

Louis sighs, trying his hardest to sound defeated, “This is ridiculous. You’re obviously more experienced than me. I don’t know what Zayn was thinking.”

Louis can’t wait to see Gregory’s smile vanish. But he has to be patient. Almost there.

“Me neither. It’s good you can admit it though.”

“Yeah let’s just get there together and maybe you can give the trainees a lesson on following someone? That’s good to know too I imagine.”

Gregory nods, the stupid smile never leaving his face.

“It is. It is. So where’s the location?”

Louis ‘gulps’.

“Huh…”

“It’s the other way around isn’t it?”

Louis nods, ‘sheepishly’, “Yeah, it’s at Janine’s coffee shop.” Louis takes out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and gives it to Greg who reads it and nods, satisfied. Louis bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grinning from ear to ear.

This is too easy.

The coffee shop isn’t far at all and they arrive in less than five minutes.

“Here we are.”

“It’s weird, I don’t see them.”

“They’re probably out back.”

Gregory hums and opens the front door, so sure of himself it’s almost too easy to slip away. Louis almost feels bad. Almost. He forces himself to stay focused. He’s still not there yet. Gregory could still catch up.

Just in case Gregory decides to look back, Louis makes sure to slip between buildings into smaller streets and pulls up his hoodie. To be certain he loses Gregory completely, he changes directions often and in an unpredictable pattern. He knows, though, that Gregory isn’t near him at all. There’s no trace of his scent in the vicinity and he lets himself smile earnestly all the way to the flower shop, where Zayn and the trainees are waiting.

“Hey Lou!”

Louis jumps a little. He was so concentrated on discerning Gregory’s scent he hadn’t picked up on Harry’s. He doesn’t stop walking, not wanting to risk it.

“Lou, wait up!”

Louis turns around, smirking,

“How about you catch up?”

Harry pauses and smiles playfully waking the butterflies in Louis’ stomach, “Oh you’re on.” Louis runs, taking a detour to the flower shop.

Harry’s good. Better than any alpha he’s outran before. Jumping over, ducking under any obstacle that would have caused a lot of grief to alphas as bulky as him. It’s impressive and exhilarating. They’re nearly running side by side when Louis reaches the flower shop entrance.

They enter laughing and panting.

“Man you’re good.” Harry says, in between two heavy breaths.

“You’re not too bad either.” Louis has practically forgotten about the demonstration Harry reminds him.

“So, you lost him huh?”

“You knew about that?”

Harry nods, pride radiating through their bond and bleeding into Louis’ demeanor. He’s never felt this way. Proud. That’s new.

“Zayn told me. They’re waiting for you out back.”

“Right.”

Light hearted for once, Louis beams and leads Harry towards the backdoor. Happy to share this moment with his soulmate.


	33. Background Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. I disappeared a little bit. Sorry about that. [Insert believable excuse, better than the truth: procrastination.]
> 
> <3 -Xx

As they open the door Louis and Harry are met with wide eyed trainees and Zayn, looking smug and satisfied. He doesn’t look surprised at all to see Harry tagging along, contrary to the trainees who look wide eyed at Louis and Harry entering hand in hand. They bow their heads and a couple “Alpha Styles” are muttered here and there. Louis takes his hand out of Harry’s, suddenly feeling inadequate. He’ll never get used to how people act around Harry.

“So, where’s officer Carston?” says Zayn, knowing full well he is nowhere in sight.

Louis shrugs and tries to keep his smirk at bay, “Last time I saw him he was looking for you guys at Jeanine’s coffee shop.”

Zayn laughs openly.

When Louis looks over at the small group of trainees, Chris, in the front row, is shaking his head slightly, jaw tight. Following Louis’ gaze, Zayn addresses him directly,

“Something you have to say Chris?”

Chris’ jaw tightens in a moment of silent tension as he debates whether or not to answer Zayn’s question.

Finally, he snaps, “It’s obvious! Every one’s thinking it! Alpha Styles helped him! He cheated! There’s no way officer Carston was outsmarted by an omega. Oh no, actually, not just an omega, a _rogue _omega.”

Louis feels a blinding anger growing rapidly inside their bond right before Harry’s violently grabbing Chris by the collar.

“Apologize immediately.” Harry’s voice has more in common with that of a wolf than a human. It brings chills along Louis’ spine.

Louis tries to pry his soulmate off of Chris, scared of the damage he could inflict. Chris isn’t that big a wolf and Harry’s rage is vibrating so strongly in their bond, it’s bleeding into Louis’ emotions. Unfortunately, Chris isn’t helping his case, smirking as if he had total control over the situation. Although Louis pulls on Harry with all his force, the Alpha easily pushes Louis away right before taking a swing at Chris’ face. Louis’ eyes widen.

“Harry! Stop!”

The punch lands in a loud thump on Chris’ jaw making Louis cringe. He knows very well how much a full forced punch like this hurts.

“Apologize!” Although the smirk has disappeared, Chris’ eyes find Harry’s in a silent show of defiance. Harry hits Chris again. This time Louis hears something crack. A rib maybe.

Looking around for help, Louis’ eyes land on Zayn who’s observing the scene, arms crossed.

“Zayn! Help me out would you?”

Zayn shrugs, not moving an inch.

“If Alpha Harry wants to defend his mate, there’s nothing I can do.”

Chris whimpers and tries to fight back, to push Harry off of him, but it has no effect whatsoever and Harry takes another swing.

“Zayn! Please!”

Louis tries to pull him away, but Harry probably doesn’t even feel a thing.

“I’m not-“ Louis pulls as hard as he can on Harry’s arm, “-even-“ the Alpha’s grip on Chris’ collar doesn’t falter, “-his mate!”

Silence falls and Harry freezes. Louis knows he made a mistake as he hears their small audience gasp in unison. Before he has time to grasp the situation, Harry’s discarded a frightened Chris on the floor and invaded Louis’ personal space, backing the omega towards the nearest wall, a low growl in his chest,

“What did you just say?”

Louis’ gaping, desperately searching for something to say to appease Harry’s wolf.

“I- I mean, not officially. Not yet.”

Louis hits the wall behind him, but Harry doesn’t stop moving in closer until he’s effectively trapping him there. Harry has that look in his eyes, the one he had when Nick had tried to apologize at the dinner table. But this time’s different. Louis knows exactly what’s going on in Harry’s head. Their bond is stronger. Or maybe Louis’ learned pay attention to it more. In any case, Harry isn’t going to hurt him and Louis’ sure of that. The eyes piercing through Louis aren’t Harry’s but he’s wolf’s. Although Harry hasn’t fully transitioned to his wolf form, Louis’ certain he’s now meeting it.

He reaches out slowly eliciting a warning growl and ignoring it. As softly as he can, Louis lays his hand on Harry’s cheek. With this simple touch, Harry’s eyes soften immediately, as if Louis had absorbed all of the previous tension and anger, leaving only the hurt in his eyes.

“Harry… Hazza…” The nickname brings a candid light in Harry’s eyes which prompts Louis to continue.

“I love you. And I know you love me too. The rest is just background noise.”

Harry sighs and deflates, resting his forehead on Louis’ for a moment. Louis can feel the tumult in their soul bond evaporating.

“Sorry.” Harry finally whispers. As he slowly comes back to his senses, Louis feels the regret weighing on Harry. The Alpha turns around to face Chris who’s still sitting on the floor, grabbing his side in pain, a huge bruise already forming on his jaw.

“Chris, I’m sorry. I lost control and I shouldn’t have. It won’t happen again.”

Chris nods and bows his head, probably not wanting to infuriate his Alpha again.

“Now you still owe Louis an apology.” There’s a warning in Harry’s voice and Chris must hear it since he keeps his head down and complies,

“I’m sorry for disrespecting you sergeant Tomlinson.”

After a charges pause, Zayn steps forward, reassembling the trainees in front of him.

“All right. Now that _that_’s done. Louis, would you explain to us how you didn’t cheat?”

As Louis walks them through his escapade with Greg, he isn’t surprised to see Chris quieter than usual glancing at him with a hostile look.

\---

Harry’s hands tighten on Louis’ hips as the omega slides slowly on top of the alpha, feeling every inch of Harry who’s sinking deeper and deeper into him. Riding Harry was now Louis’ favorite thing. He loved to set a slower pace until Harry couldn’t take it anymore and finally flipped them over, taking control again. Harry’s low groans as Louis pulls himself up again elicits this erotic pride in him. Harry’s a drug he can’t get enough of.

\---

“Louis whimpers again and again and again. Harry’s pounding into him, hitting his spot every damn time. The sensation is overwhelming. He can feel Harry’s climax building in their bond so strongly it builds his own up, doubling his pleasure. He’d never been able to come untouched before. Now, with Harry, it’s practically all he does.

\---

Harry’s opened hand sits gently on Louis’ stomach as they lay side by side, covered in sweat, naked, panting and still coming down from their highs. Harry absentmindedly draws circles with his fingers on Louis’ skin bringing chills to the area.

“So…” Harry’s low drawl is always sexier after an orgasm and Louis turns his head towards him, observing the way his curls lay messy around his head. Harry’s biting his lips. Nervous.

Louis frowns, confused.

“Yes?”, Louis encourages.

“Tomorrow is the full moon.”

The statement, although true, doesn’t help clear up Louis’ confusion and he straightens up on his elbows to get a better look at Harry.

“Hum. Yes. Seems like it.”

Louis raises an eyebrow, a silent interrogation. Harry smiles slightly, but Louis can sense his nerves through their bond.

“What’s up Harry?”

Harry laughs nervously.

“Well… I talked to the council this afternoon and they agreed we should make it official. The ceremony isn’t too complicated. Although we’ve only performed it for newborns in the past, I’ve been assured that it’ll work on an adult exactly the same way.”

“What are you saying?”

“Louis, we want to make you an official part of the Styles pack. If you’ll have us.”

“I- Harry… are you sure?”

Harry rolls his eyes, “Louis. I want to mate with you. Frankly, we both know it’s just a matter of time. But you need to be pack first. And honestly, I’m going crazy not having any claim on you. If I listened to my wolf, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight for a second.”

Louis believes him not only because of the earnestness in their bond and the chilling determination in Harry’s gaze, but also because Harry’s had an obvious hard time controlling his wolf around him lately.

“Okay.” Louis says, a small smile slowly making his way on his lips, joining Harry’s full blown grin.

Louis Tomlinson of the Styles pack. It has a nice ring to it.

\---

“Are you sure?”

“Yes sir. I’m certain of it. James Scott was talking with the Tomlinson’s pack Alpha, Troy Tomlinson. They seem to have some kind of agreement. We’re just not sure what they’re up to yet. Everything’s in our report sir, but I thought you should be made aware as soon as possible.”

Harry nods, keeping calm appearances even though his heart is beating a million times a minute.

“Thank you. Good work agent.”

Agent Mulch recognizes his cue to leave, but as he turns around, he falters and grabs a chair for support. Harry stands up from behind his desk, worried.

“Are you okay?”

The agent smiles tightly, a redness to his cheeks betraying his embarrassment.

“Yeah, it’s this stupid border spell. I’m fine, the headaches will dissipate.”

Harry sighs. He always hates deploying spies over the border for this exact reason.

“It’s far from a stupid spell. It has prevented countless wars over the years. Hell, it’s probably the only thing preventing James Scott from sending his army over here…”

The agent laughs breathily, “I’d like to see him try. We have almost double their numbers.”

Harry frowns, looking to his window, watching as a group of kids from the nearby school walks passed his line of sight.

“Mmh. Not if they’re allied with the Tomlinson pack.”

He’s still watching his pack enjoying the beautiful sunny day when agent Mulch reaches his office door.

“Agent Mulch?”

“Yes sir?”

“Don’t talk of this to anyone.”

“Of course sir.”


	34. The Ritual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am camping in a very remote part of my beautiful province in Canada, hot-spotting on a very shaky internet connection, but here it is! Finally, another update!
> 
> Love you guys <3

“I can’t do this”, Niall groans as he stands up from picking up a stick for umpteenth time this morning. Louis frowns. In all honesty, after a week in his own training when he was younger, he was able to resist alpha commands better. There must be something he isn’t explaining correctly. At Niall’s disappointed stance however, Louis forces his frown to smooth over.

“What are you talking about? You almost resisted it just now!” Louis tries to encourage Niall to no apparent effect.

“ ’Almost’ being the key word here.” Niall throws the stick to the floor in annoyance.

While Louis searches for another word of encouragement or some other technique Niall could use, Nick stands up, yawning loudly. “Sun’s almost up, we should probably call it a day anyway right?”

Niall sighs, “Nick’s right. Liam and Zayn think I’m still mad at them ‘cause I’m always gone in the morning. I should make them breakfast before they wake to apologize.”

Louis nods in agreement and Nick takes his leave, no doubt to go back to sleep. Niall and Louis, as per usual, walk side by side towards the main house.

In truth Harry has been suspicious too for the past few days. Louis has blamed his early morning ventures on insomnia, but he has a feeling Harry isn’t buying any of it. And he can see and feel his worry growing.

“Maybe we should come clean and tell them what we’re up too.” Louis suggests.

Niall, seeming like he’s thought about the same thing nods, “Yeah, don’t like hiding things from them. Maybe they won’t react as badly as we think.”

“Yeah.” Louis answers, not as convinced as Niall. He really isn’t sure how Harry is going to react with louis teaching other omegas of his pack to disobey alpha commands. He’s certainly not going to get any bonus points for asking Nick to help.

  
“Did you ever find out what they were hiding?”

“Yeah. I’m an idiot and I should have trusted them. But they don’t know I know so…”  
“Well, what is it?”  
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Niall smirks and Louis narrows his eyes at him, suspiciously. But he’s glad the trio is back on good terms.

“Are you excited for tonight?” Niall asks, grin wide. Louis thinks he might be more excited than Louis himself.

“Yeah.” Louis nods and smiles, trying to hide how nervous he actually is. Niall frowns, smile faltering.

“What’s bothering you then?”

Louis side eyes Niall, a little spooked at his perceptiveness.

“I don’t know, I have this feeling like something’s going to go wrong…” Louis shrugs as if this nagging feeling hasn’t kept him up all night. “It’s stupid I know.”

“It’s not stupid Lou.” Louis looks up from the floor and looks at Niall surprised.

“You probably just feel like it’s too good to be true. You haven’t had the best of luck the last few years. But, really, tonight is just a formality. You’re already a pretty important part of the pack, you know?”

Louis snorts and goes back to looking at his feet as they walk. Louis is far from an important part of the pack. He’s more like a freeloader than anything else.

“I’m serious.” Niall continues, “People have already started to think of you as the Alpha’s mate.”

Louis chokes on nothing and coughs, face hot in embarrassment.

“We’re not even mated yet!”

Niall laughs breathily and shakes his head.

“Lou! Your souls are tied together! I’d say that tromps any mating rituals don’t you think?”

Louis frowns again, regaining some semblance of composure and giving Niall’s statement serious thought. Louis finds that he disagrees whole heartedly with that. While a soul bond is the result of a biological phenomenon, a mating ritual is a choice two werewolves are making. Louis’ been through enough to know that people leave and biology doesn’t do a damn thing to stop it. Louis doesn’t see how a soul bond is any different from this supposed unconditional love between parent and child. If anything, his family’s proof that biology isn’t enough. A soul bond isn’t enough. Being with someone, wanting to stay and build a home, that’s a choice. That means something. It’s not that he doesn’t believe Harry wants to mate with him, because he does. But so many things can go wrong before that and he wants to be careful not to get his hopes up too much in fear of going through another heartbreak.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Louis says to reassure Niall. Of course, Niall doesn’t buy it one bit, but he doesn’t push it.

\---

Chris is not having a good time. At all. He wakes up way too early. Before sunrise. A pounding headache and a stabbing pain in his right side, all courtesy of Alpha Harry Styles.

The night prior, he’d had to endure the stupidity and incompetence of this doctor, a _woman_, of course. She’d told him with all the assurance in the world that his wounds were mostly superficial and he could walk out anytime. The bitch had the audacity of telling him and every nurse around that his injuries weren’t so bad while he was literally crying in pain on the hospital bed. _Honestly. The nerves._ Deciding he doesn’t want to stay in this horrid place any longer, he stands up (with difficulty, might he had, his ribs being shackled to pieces by his own Alpha for no good reason at all).

While making his way to the door, he can picture that whiney omega rogue all giddy that his unmated alpha defended his honor when that little fucker didn’t have any honor to save in the first place! Those two make for a real disgusting pair if you ask Chris. For once, a rogue has no place staying in any pack territory especially not in headquarters and especially not in the Alpha’s bed. As far as Chris is concerned Alpha Harry is a traitor to his own pack for accepting this disgusting excuse for an omega. Filled with anger, he lets his enflamed thoughts guide his steps and ends up in the main house, not knowing full well what he intends to do yet. He knows where the Alpha sleeps, everybody does. His feet bring him to His door and he cracks it opened. The traitor in command is still sleeping, but Chris is surprised not to see the little freak to his side. Maybe Alpha Harry isn’t as much of a lunatic as he thought. Then he thinks maybe the omega is sleeping in another room. Alone. Vulnerable. A smug smile takes over Chris’ lips. It’s too easy.

He could slip into the omega’s room, alpha command him to leave and never come back. If he’s lucky, Harry might follow him like a lost puppy. He’d get rid of both of them all at once. Chris has to hold off a laugh and try his hardest to remain silent. Chris opens the door to the next room slowly. Although the bed is made and empty, the omega’s scent lingers. Chris is pretty sure the omega slept in there at some point. As he enters the room further, the opened closet catches his eye. There, on the floor, a discarded bag surrounded by Louis’ scent. _Interesting_.

When Chris opens the bag and slowly recognizes some of the items, Chris laughs as quietly as possible. _This is too easy. Way too easy. Tonight, everything will be all right again. _

\---

To say that Louis is nervous would be an understatement. The clear sky allows for the full moon to brighten the clearance in the forest where it seems like every pack member is standing in wolf form, heads bowed towards their Alpha. Harry’s in human form standing in front of the council members and the rest of the pack, all forming a guard of honor for Louis to walk through.

Unfortunately for Louis, the ceremony accepting a new member in the pack and the ritual to exile one are almost identical. Every time he blinks, his father stands in Harry’s place, waiting to rip his heart out. He tries to push those images aside as he walks slowly towards his soulmate. _His soulmate, not his father. The Styles pack, not the Tomlinson, _Louis keeps reminding himself. Harry smiles at him warmly, no doubt sensing Louis’ stress and the omega decides to focus on that instead. He studies Harry’s dimples and the reflection of the moon light in his eyes. It works well and he’s only a couple meters away from Harry when he hears someone running behind him followed by a loud growl.

“Stop!”

Werewolves heads snap up and instant confusion agitate the crowd as Chris runs past Louis, stops next to Harry and faces the pack. Louis’ heart drops when he notices what Chris holds in his hands. His backpack. His mind is racing, picturing every incriminating item he’d stacked into that backpack. _This is not good._

“Stop!” Chris repeats, a little out of breath. Silence falls, every one waiting for Chris to explain the interruption.

“I have information about the rogue that the council should know about before proceeding with the ritual.”

Louis swallows with difficulty, mouth suddenly parched. If it weren’t for Harry, he’d be running, half way to the next border already. But he’s in too deep now. The only way he’s leaving is if he gets thrown out. Which might happen sooner than expected. Louis swallows again. He’d kill for a glass of water right about now.

Chris opens the bag, taking out wallets and the medicine Louis had stolen on his first week in the pack, holding them up for everyone to see.

“Those were stolen from us. While you were deciding to make him a permanent part of our pack, the rogue was stealing from us the whole time!”

What hurts Louis the most in that moment isn’t the numerous gasps and angry stare surrounding him. No. What hurts the most is Harry’s expression of pure shock combined with the pain in their bond. The pain which he isn’t sure is emanating from Harry or from himself. It’s unbearable and almost brings him to his knees. He wants to look away from Harry’s hurt expression, but he can’t.

“Louis?” The confusion in Harry’s voice is heartbreaking. Harry feels betrayed. Louis opens his mouth to try and explain that this was a long time ago. At least it felt like it. He tries to explain that it was only when he thought he’d be forced to leave. But nothing comes out.

“Is that what you were doing in the morning?” Louis’ heart drops. Harry’s voice is barely a whisper, but in the unnatural silence befalling them, it carries more than Louis would like.

“This whole time,” Harry continues, “you were stealing from us? Were you planning on leaving again?”

“No!”, Louis hears himself say, not nearly as loudly as he’d wanted to be. No, Harry has it all wrong.

Louis’ horrified, the scene unfolds in front of him, but he’s not certain he’s still there. Everything looks blurry and horribly slowed down. Everybody’s eyes are on him, shocked, judgmental, suspicious eyes. Flashes of friends turning their backs on him, of his father’s cold gaze bring tears to Louis’ eyes. He knows he has to explain himself, but he’s choking, his throat is closing up and it’s getting harder to breathe. He knew this was too good to be true, he knew this newfound happiness was bound to be ripped right out from under his feet.

“Are you saying this isn’t yours?” Chris brandishes the backpack a little higher, “it reeks of your scent.”

Louis’ heart is beating too fast and unnaturally hard in his chest.

“No it is. It’s mine, but-“ Louis croaks out. Chris cuts him off,

“And isn’t it filled with stolen items? Items that belonged to this pack.”

Louis gulps. He doesn’t know how he’s still standing when the ground feels so shaky all of a sudden.

“Yes, it is. It’s mine. But-“ Louis’ about to explain that it was only during the first days of his stay, that his situation was different at the time, but Chris cuts him off again.

“Are we really going to let a thief into our home? And if he’s capable of this crime, who knows what else he’s prepared to do to serve his own agenda?”

Louis looks wide eyed at Harry, trying to find some sort of reassurance. He only sees doubt and pain. Louis closes the few meters separating him and his soulmate and tries to reach out to him but Harry recoils.

“Harry, please.” Louis hates how small and quiet his voice comes out.

“Were you planning on leaving?”

Louis’ shocked that Harry would think that. But if he’s being honest with himself, he knew that backpack was still there. And he wanted it to be there. He wanted to have a backup plan in case things didn’t work out. He realizes then how much he’s been keeping a distance from everyone, how much he’s been pushing people away out of fear of losing them. This stupid self-preservation act is now coming back in Louis’ face full force. He should have been more opened. He should have been more honest with Harry, he should have told him how much he loves him and how much he wants this. He wants to be part of this pack. He wants to build a home there. He wants to grow old here.

How pathetic that he’s only realizing this when he’s on the verge of losing everything.

“Harry, please. I don’t want to leave anymore, I promise.”

Louis hates the tears in Harry’s eyes. The doubt in their bond. He reaches out again and this time, to Louis’ relief, Harry doesn’t move away. Louis’ hand brushes Harry’s cheek, the alpha leans into the touch ever so slightly, enough to give Louis hope.

“Harry, I love you. The rest is-”

“-background noise?” Harry’s eyes are searching Louis’, as if waiting for confirmation. Louis nods and feels an instant relief of tension in their bond.

“Okay.” Harry whispers and brings Louis in for a quick kiss. As if sealing an agreement. Assuring Louis he’s got his back. Louis stifles a sob out of pure relief. Harry’s there. He believes him.

Harry takes a step back and addresses the confused crowd of werewolves, anxiously waiting for their Alpha to bring order back.

“Thank you Chris for your concern. You can go back to your position for the ritual.” Harry takes the backpack from him harshly and doesn’t spare him a look, keeping his eyes on the gathered werewolves in front of him. “Everyone, I’m going to ask for your patience. I will have a word with the council and we will make a decision regarding this new development.”

Allan, Gregory, Catherine and Niall don’t skip a beat. They all break from the crowd to follow their Alpha. Harry takes Louis’ hand and leads them all into the forest, away from prying eyes and ears. Louis glances back and is met with a set of angry, malicious eyes. Chris’ fury sends chills down Louis’ spine. He gulps and turns away, entering the forest walls where he’ll, no doubt, have to answer for his actions. At least now, with Harry’s hand in his, he doesn’t feel so alone.


	35. Belonging.s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I do not recommend two jobs and a masters. Like really. Don't do it. If that crazy idea crosses your mind, just take a nap, it'll pass. Thank me later <3

If it weren’t for Harry’s comforting scent and presence at his side, Louis wouldn’t be able to walk at all. Even now, it’s baffling how his legs are still working, robotically following the council into the somber and dark forest. He’s hyper aware of the way he’s fretting, constantly rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. How is he going to get out of this one? Normally he’d be thinking of retrieving his bag and running away. But, for maybe the first time in his life, running is the last thing he wants to do. He wants to stay. With Harry. Actually, he _needs _to stay. He wouldn’t survive alone again, knowing what he’d be giving up this time around. He keeps imagining the Styles pack turning its back on him the same way his family had, the same way Stan and Oli had. That would break him. You’d think Louis could get through anything after years of loneliness, but this, for sure, would be the end of his sanity.

Harry lays a warm and gentle hand on Louis’ shoulder, right at the base of his neck, thumb rubbing gently, effectively stopping the spinning wheels of Louis’ agitated mind. He lets some of the worry escape his body, fixating on the regular rubbing of Harry’s thumb on the back of his neck.

As soon as they’ve entered the forest deep enough for the pack to be out of earshot, Niall turns to the other council members,

“This is totally absurd! Louis hasn’t done anything wrong! The last few mornings he wasn’t stealing, Harry. He was with me! If anything it’s Chris who should be in question here! He snooped around in Louis’ things for fuck’s sake, he’s the one who stole! I say we get back to the ritual and banish Chris while we’re at it. We should-”

“Okay! Slow down Horan would you?” Gregory interrupts, “We know how you and Harry feel about the omega, but we have to think of the pack first regardless of personal feelings. That’s why the council exists; to counter personal interests like these. If Louis has stolen from us, we need to act accordingly.” Gregory’s stoic posture highlighted only slightly by the dim moonlight has never been more intimidating to Louis. He looks at Catherine and Allan and both nod in agreement, postures just as statuesque and imposing. Louis gulps, Niall’s worried eyes not helping his nerves settle one bit.

“Harry, could you pass Louis’ bag over, please?” Allan’s deep and authoritative voice resonates through the eerily quiet forest. Harry nods and complies, face passive, but never breaking his reassuring contact with Louis. To the omega’s dismay, Gregory, Catherine and Allan’s expressions remain unreadable as Allan opens the bag and slowly uncovers every single item, laying them down on the grass in front of him. Omega recoiling in shame and panick, eyes wide, arms crossing, uncrossing, hands grabbing the hem of his shirt, arms crossing again, Louis doesn’t know what to do.

Painkillers, antibiotic cream, bandages, canned foods, rope, a knife, a poetry book, maps, wallets, money, amidst all of the stolen goods, a hoodie Louis recognizes very well. A hoodie that smells like rain and leaves. A hoodie that smells like home.

Before Louis can start to plead his case in front of three very grave faces and an apologetic Niall, Harry’s slow dragging voice echoes quietly from beside him, eyes transfixed on a single item,

“You stole my shirt.”

Of all the things, Louis did not expect Harry to get stuck on that. Surprise takes over his current existential crisis.

“Hum… I… well… Sorry.” Is all Louis can think to say.

“Why?” Harry’s still looking at the shirt in wonderment.

“Huh?” Louis glances at the other council members. The annoyance radiating from Gregory is palpable, Niall’s lips are tugging upwards and Allan seems to be repressing a grin of his own.

“Why?” Harry repeats, leaving Louis a little bewildered at the turn of events.

“Hum- I don’t.- I’m not too sure really, - I just.”

“Nesting”

Everyone turns towards Niall at the same time. An omega typically starts nesting when they’re ready to have pups or are already expecting them. Louis’ eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. It’s only one shirt! Surely, this doesn’t count as nesting!

“Nesting…” Harry repeats, whispering mostly for himself, not leaving his state of awe.

“What? No, I-that’s not it! I don’t nest, I’m not nesting. I just thought it smelled good-or- I mean, I don’t - that’s not-no. No, Niall, I’m not... Besides I- why are you focusing on a shirt when I stole wallets for fuck’s sake.” _Sure, switch the attention to something worse you did, that’s a great idea and while you’re at it, why don’t you just punch yourself in the face too? That’ll surely help._

Harry’s beaming. Why is Harry smiling like that? Louis’ grateful for the darkness hiding his face which is surely redder than a tomato judging by how hot it feels.

“You think I smell good and you’re nesting.” Harry smiles crookedly, a spark of happiness radiating in their bond. It’s an odd feeling when minutes ago, Louis was ready to be swallowed whole by the floor.

“I-”

“I think you smell good too.” Harry says, smirking.

_Well okay then. Good to know._ Louis can’t help the small smile making his way on his lips.

Catherine coughs uncomfortably.

“So. He _did _steal from us. We should probably get back to that?”

Gregory puffs his chest and crosses his arms, clearly glad the feely touchy moment between the two soulmates is over.

“I think we should hear from Louis before we make any kind of decision.” Allan says, voice slightly softer than before. Harry’s hand slides from Louis’ shoulder to his waist, pulling him closer.

Louis takes in a breath, heartened by Harry’s surge of affection in their bond seconds ago.

“It’s true that I have stolen from you… Obviously.” Louis pauses, eyes trained on the floor, uncertain of where to go from there. Harry’s hand on his waist squeezes lightly in encouragement. “But I never had any intention to…” Louis sighs cutting himself off, licking his lips nervously. When his gaze meets Niall, desperately searching for guidance, the latter opens his mouth as if to speak, but thinks better of it and closes it again. Allan had asked for Louis to speak. Not Niall nor Harry could plead his case for him.

Standing there in front of powerful werewolves, Louis realizes it might be the first time in a long while if not ever someone in a position of authority gives him a chance to tell his side of the story. Well, except for Harry, but the fact that they’re soul bonded kind of undermines that a bit. Looking at the open curiosity on Catherine’s face and the patient, calm demeanor of Allan’s posture, Louis thinks it might also be the first time he’ll be really heard too.

He clears his throat and stands up straighter. He can do this. He has to.

“I was fourteen when my pack turned its back on me. My parents, my family, my friends, my teachers, my doctor, everyone I had ever known. I had nothing, only the clothes on my back and this stupid label. _Rogue_.” The word tastes vial in Louis’ mouth. He hates that word, hates the way people spit it into his face to convey how disgusted they are of him, how insignificant Louis is to them.

“I was rejected by my own people and everybody I’d ever meet again would know and act accordingly.” Harry holds onto him tighter, a tang of guilt coming from him in their bond. Louis remembers what Harry had said before even meeting him. “_He’s own pack didn’t want him”._ Louis swallows with difficulty before continuing,

“Being exiled is…” Louis blinks a sudden surge of tears away, “it’s easily the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through in my life.” Louis tries to control his breathing but the simple mention of the worst day of his life brings tears he can’t blink away this time. He hopes they aren’t too visible in the moonlight and wills his head to stay up high.

“The Alpha of my pack was also my father and so he’s the one who conducted the banishment ritual.” Catherine gasps, Allan looks at Louis in horror and Gregory’s frown is subtle but visible. Louis ignores their reactions, still trying to hold himself together and get through this. “It was like my father reached into my chest and clawed my heart out. It hurt so much, I was…” Louis shakes his head unable to find the right words for the physical and psychological pain associated to that exact moment. He wipes at his tears and tries to take a hold of his breathing again.

“Anyway… Not only did I have this painful hole in my chest, but everybody could see through it. Everywhere I went, I’d be treated like vermin, a reject, a defective werewolf. And I don’t blame them. Something _had_ to be wrong with me if I, an omega of all things, was thrown out by the people who knew me best.” Harry’s hand tightens on his waist again and he thinks it’ll certainly bruise if the alpha doesn’t ease up, but Louis couldn’t care less. The contact is like a lifeline and he needs it more than anything else right now.

“The first weeks, no, the first months really, I cried myself to sleep every night. Eventually, I learned to be alone. I learned not to expect help from anyone and I learned how to fend for myself. I learned how to survive alone and, yes, that sometimes meant stealing food or medication, but I never took more than I needed.” Louis sighs remembering the first time he’d stole food, how starved he was and how guilty his omega felt. Then, a thought occurs to him and he speaks more to himself than to the council, eyes on the ground,

“Now that I think back on it, I wonder… Why did I not just… kill myself?” _Yep, Harry’s definitely leaving a bruise now_, “It would have been easier to die, I wouldn’t have had to suffer through this nagging loneliness for the past nine years. And, honestly, I think my father expected me to die one way or another. But I never even thought about it. I never considered it because there was this… stupid, incessant _hope_.” Louis looks up again and notices unshed tears in Catherine’s eyes. Her compassion brings a lump in his throat and he has to look away for fear of breaking down here and there. He stills his gaze on the trees deep into the forest.

“Call me naïve, but through all of it, I always held on to hope that I’d find a place where I belong, where I’d be accepted, safe and where I could… build a home again.” At that, Harry leaves a quick kiss to his temple bringing warmth to Louis’ whole body.

“I’m not telling you all this for you to pity me. I just want you to understand where I’m coming from. And…” Louis forces his gaze back on the council members, “I know I shouldn’t have stolen from you. I’m… deeply sorry. You were so kind to me from the start… I’m not going to make excuses for what I’ve done, I can only ask you to give me a chance. I’m not a thief, I was only trying to survive, I’m not defective either, I know that now. Now I know… I might be worth a chance, I just need you to believe that too.”

Silence is only broken by the wind in the leaves and the far away hoot of an owl. Catherine is wiping the tears Louis saw in her eyes before and Allan clears his throat, but stays silent. Gregory looks uncomfortable eyes trained on the ground, an unreadable frown on his face. Niall meets his eyes and gives him a small smile.

Harry clears his throat and speaks firmly but quietly, respecting the moment’s solemnity.

“Before you make up your mind, know that wherever Louis goes, I go too. If he leaves, I leave.”

Louis’ head snaps towards Harry, the honesty in their bond makes his eyes water and his throat constrict. Judging by the wideness of the other members’ eyes, they didn’t expect that either.

“Well… the wallets do smell human. Not that stealing from humans isn’t bad, but… you know.” Catherine shrugs, “And nothing of real value was stolen.” She says while Allan nods and takes over,

“Louis, it’s clear you had a rough start in life. I think you’re right, nobody ever gave you a real chance… I suggest we go on with the ritual tonight. Greg?”

Louis bites his bottom lip in anticipation. Gregory looks up from the floor, frown still in place.

“Stealing is stealing and the crime shouldn’t go unpunished.” Louis’ heart thumps faster and he gulps.

“But,” Gregory continues, voice softer, “I agree we should go on with the ritual and finalize this damn thing already. We can see about the punishment in the morning.”

Louis breathes in, only now realizing he was holding his breath. As the council agrees with Gregory and moves towards the clearance where the pack is patiently waiting, Louis stays glued on the spot, Harry still by his side.

“Lou? You ready?”

Louis turns to face Harry who’s smiling softly. Louis can’t believe it. They’ll go on with the ritual as planned. He’ll be part of the Styles pack, he’ll belong. Finally. And he’ll be with Harry. Harry who was prepared to leave his own pack to be with Louis. Harry who stood by him, a solid pillar he could lean on. Louis feels his heart expanding for him, it’s almost painful, like his chest could implode. Louis connects their lips together in a sweet and quick kiss. They beam at each other for a moment, basking in the amount of love in their bond before Louis nods,

“Yeah, I’m ready.”


	36. Encore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... it's definitely the longest I went without updating this story... I'm really sorry! But I'm planning on going back to weekly updates. As much as I love writing this story, I can't wait to wrap it up so I can get to other stories (finishing whisper me your screams being one of them). 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with it and for the support while I was taking a break from updates! -Xx

As he Walks slowly towards Harry for the second time that night, pack wolves flanking him in a guard of honour Louis’ heart beats hard in his chest. Anticipation grows in the air. One of them - Louis thinks he recognizes Niall’s brown fur - howls enthusiastically and others join in. A surge of overwhelming acceptance threatens to bring tears to his eyes.

In the midst of the loud happy cries from the pack wolves, Louis’ attention is all focussed on Harry, on the light coming from the torch he’s holding highlighting his strong jawline, on his gleaming eyes and his dimpled smile. Pride radiates through their bond and Louis wishes he could capture this moment and put it in a bottle so he could relive it again and again. As soon as Louis reaches him, Harry lifts the torch slightly and silence falls immediately on their audience.

“Members of the Styles pack.” Harry speaks, his voice resonating through the dark forest, reaching each and every werewolf in the audience, “Here stands before you Louis William Tomlinson, soon to be a member of our pack. Tonight, we welcome him, and we promise him security, loyalty and kinship.” Louis knows the words, they’re an oath from the pack. An oath to protect and care for their new member. The sentences usually spoken for a newborn; formalities Louis’ heard before when he was still part of a pack. Now though, this oath means so much more than protocol. It’s a promise, a confirmation that maybe, he was right to hold on to hope, that, maybe, he’s finally arrived at his destination.

But then Harry continues beyond the usual oath, surprising Louis, “Louis William Tomlinson is a werewolf of immense value to your Alpha and of great skills. There is no doubt in my mind that Louis will bring a lot to the pack. The council agrees, but I ask you now, members of the Styles pack, do you accept Louis William Tomlinson in your midst, do you accept him as kin?” At ounce, every wolf starts to howl. Then Harry uses his torch to light the fire set up beside him and the howling intensifies in celebration, making the earth tremble beneath their feet. Louis’ heart swells as his soulmate’s eyes filled with love lock with his, most probably reflecting the same fond expression. 

Then there’s warmth. Encompassing him, bubbling into his chest and creeping into his bones. The kind that so strongly highlights how cold he used to be, how cold he’s been for so long. The kind of warmth he stopped believing existed a long time ago. The feeling is almost too much to handle. A familiar fuzzy cloud dances in front of Louis’ eyes and he has trouble keeping it away. The mending of his broken heart is so powerful he’s teetering on the edge of dropping. Panicking, not wanting to drop in front of the whole pack, Louis fights it. Harry brings him into his arms and whispers in his ear, “It’s okay Louis, you can let go. I’ve got you.” Louis gives in to the warm cloud enveloping him, trusting Harry to anchor him and bring him back.

“Is he okay?” Charlotte’s voice breaks through the oblivious celebrating werewolves. She’d been nervous for Louis ever since Chris had almost ruined the night. She was so relieved the ritual still took place; she’d been howling louder than anyone else. She wanted to approach Louis and congratulate him but seeing him collapse in Harry’s arms has her worried for her newfound brother again.

“He’s okay Lottie. He’s just dropped, it’s been a difficult night.” Charlotte nods in understanding. Harry adjusts Louis in his arms intending on carrying him back to their room – well… Harry’s room - but another worried voice halts him.

“Is Louis all right?”

“Joanne!” Harry can’t help his surprise. Rituals like these weren’t opened to visitors. They were old traditions and it was important to werewolves to uphold the strict rules of those ancient practices. His discontentment most have shown since, even in the dark, Joanne’s embarrassed blush was visible.

“I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t be here; I just watched from a distance. I promise.”

Harry frowns, internally debating if Joanne’s indiscretion warrants punishment until a moan from Louis breaks through his thoughts and he decides to file the problem for future Harry to deal with.

“He’s fine, just overwhelmed. I’m taking him to bed.” Harry doesn’t wait for Joanne’s response and makes his way through the chaotic, celebrating wolves.

\---

Louis doesn’t want the fuzzy cloud to disperse yet. He’s so comfortable, he doesn’t want the floating feeling to go away, doesn’t want the newfound warmth in his chest to disappear. But there’s a voice calling him back. Familiar, deep. He knows that voice, he thinks. 

“That’s it Lou, come back to me.”

Louis blinks the cloud dissipates a little bit more.

“There you go, love. You’re doing great.”

“Hazza?”

Harry’s smile grows at the nickname.

“Yes, it’s me Lou.”

Louis blinks again wanting to see his soulmate’s face. He’s met with bright green eyes and a laughing smile. As the cloud dissipates completely, Louis is glad to see that the warmth isn’t going away with it. Harry’s towering over him, a hand caressing his cheek gently, waiting for him to come back completely.

“How are you feeling Lou?”

“Warm.” Harry frowns, “Too warm?” Harry starts to take away some of the blankets he’d draped on Louis who laughs at Harry’s antiques and stops him.

“No Haz’, I mean I feel… good. Complete.”

Understanding smooths out the worry lines on Harry’s forehead and he sighs, bringing Louis into his arms as he lays back down on the bed. Louis, exhausted, closes his eyes. Images of the night come back to him. Images of wolves howling in acceptance. He is part of a pack again. Not any pack, either; his soulmate’s. The thought is simply too exciting for him to go to sleep yet. And then he remembers how he’d dropped in front of everyone and he blushes deeply, embarrassed he showed such weakness to every member of his new pack.

Harry feels the shift in their bond, from excitement to worry and embarrassment. He frowns and opens his eyes to look at Louis in the midst of biting his bottom lip and pulling at a thread in the blanket distractedly.

“Hey. What’s going on up here Lou?” Harry asks after gently kissing Louis’ temple.

“Huh?” Louis startles, still unaccustomed to having someone being so in tuned with how he’s feeling.

“Hum, nothing. I’m fine.” Louis knows he won’t fool Harry, but there’s still hope he’ll simply drop it. No such luck.

“Lou… seriously, what’s wrong?”

Louis shakes his head dismissively, forcing a small laugh to appease Harry’s worry, “It’s stupid.”

“Tell me.”

Louis sighs, knowing Harry isn’t going to let it go.

“I just… can’t believe I dropped in front of everyone. It’s… embarrassing.”

“Louis. There’s absolutely nothing embarrassing about dropping. Most omegas in your situation would have had the same reaction. Actually, most omegas in your situation would have dropped way sooner. It was a tiring and overwhelming night for you, and everybody understands that. I promise you no one judged you for it.”

“I guess… I’m not used to being so… omega-like.”

Harry frowns. Louis had told him repeatedly before that he was ‘defective’. But, aside from Louis’ uncanny capability to disobey alpha commands, Harry has yet to see anything unusual about Louis and he’s definitely never done anything that constitutes as ‘defective’. Harry suspects Louis’ hatred of himself comes from his rough upbringing more than anything else.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… I’m used to not doing what every omega does. I used to think I was just incapable of doing all those omega things, that I was an anomaly. Now… I don’t know.”

Harry takes a moment to think about how he wants to approach the subject, knowing it has a lot to do with why Louis banished, and it seems to be a big insecurity of his.

“Louis, I want to ask you something, but I want to tell you first that you are more than your secondary gender. You’re an amazing person whether you can drop or not, whether you obey or disobey alpha commands, whether you’re nesting or not.” Harry smiles crookedly when Louis snorts in fake outraged.

“I’m not nesting!”

“Whatever you say Lou.”

“But seriously, you know, sometimes, werewolves are born into a gender they don’t feel comfortable in and they decide to change it. Is that how you feel Lou? Would you feel more comfortable in another secondary gender? You know I love you and nothing’s going to change that. The medicine for it is starting to be super advanced and I’m sure Olivia would be happy to help.”

Louis’ expression is almost comical, eyes wide, mouth gaping, until it breaks into a smile. Harry smiles back, still unsure of what Louis’ thinking.

“Harry, you’re the sweetest person I know.” Louis’ shaking his head in disbelief and Harry can feel the surge of love in their bond. Coming from a pack that banished him for not expressing his secondary gender the ‘right way’, Harry’s total acceptance is almost too much to take. 

“I can’t believe you’d be okay with that… You’re wonderful. But no, Hazza I don’t feel like I’m in the wrong gender.” Harry lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“It wouldn’t have been easy, but I want you to be happy Lou. That’s the most important thing to me.” Louis senses the earnestness in Harry’s statement.

There’s a moment of silence as they bask in each other’s company, wrapped in their own thoughts until Louis breaks it, in a whisper, as if to respect the quiet of the night,

“I think the only way I’ve dealt with being an omega before was either to provoke my dad or to please him. Then, when I had to fend for myself, I had to repress my omega because I couldn’t give it what it needed. I’ve never really been able to be me, without question. I just think I need to learn how to do that… Does it make sense?”

A new piece of the puzzle that is his soulmate falls into place. It seems so logical now how reluctant Louis was of dropping the very first time in his office and how embarrassed he was of purring or even now, how he denies nesting so fervently, but still, seems to enjoy and bask in those ‘omega-like’ moments. Harry understands Louis needs encouragement, acceptance and time. He’s more than willing to give all that to Louis. And more.

“It makes perfect sense Lou.” Harry bends down to kiss his soulmate. He intends for the kiss to be quick but they both linger, losing themselves in each other. Harry thinks he’ll never get enough of Louis. His scent, his soft, demanding lips, his curves, the way he always fights for dominance to tease Harry, the way he submits easily once Harry takes over, the way he lets go completely, entrusting Harry fully. Louis thinks he’ll never get enough of Harry, his soft, gentle, dominance, his exploring, insatiable hands, the way he lets Louis take control, confident he’ll be able to take it back.

They both can’t believe their luck.

\---

Harry had canceled his obligations of the day in order to celebrate Louis’ new status in the pack. After waking up slowly, enjoying each other lazily, they’d decided to go for a run. They’d shifted and ran for the better part of the day, sometimes side by side, sometimes chasing each other, until their wolves started to fatigue. They were enjoying an impromptu assortment of wild berries they’d found on the riverbank where they’d both taken a swim.

“Hey Lou?” popping a small strawberry in his mouth Louis’ attention turns to Harry, inquisitive.

“Yesterday, Niall said you were with him these past mornings... was that just to protect you or...?”

Heat raises to Louis’ cheeks as he prepares himself for a discussion he’d definitely hoped to avoid.

“Hum… no. I was helping him out with something…”

Harry waits until it’s clear Louis isn’t going to provide more information.

“Okay… what were you helping him with?”

Louis takes a breath and speaks as fast as possible,

“IwasteachingNialltodisobeyalphacommands.”

Harry’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“What?”

Louis’ attention is suddenly brought from Harry’s incredulous expression to a black wall of smoke in the distance behind Harry.

“What’s that?”

Harry rolls his eyes, “Louis, seriously. We need to talk about this.”

Louis frowns, “No seriously, Harry. Look! What the hell is that?”

Harry turns around to where Louis is pointing. Concern fills their bond.

“Looks like there’s a fire at the northern border. A really big one.” Harry says mostly to himself.

“We should probably check it out.”

Harry stands up, “We should. But we’ll finish this discussion as soon as we clear this up.” Harry shifts and starts running towards the smoke.

“Sure… can’t wait.” Louis grunts as he stands up and shifts, catching up with Harry.


	37. Good Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me forever to upload! Endings are hard -.-" (only a few chapters left)
> 
> I hope everybody is doing okay considering the crazy times we live in <3 Take care of yourselves.

Troy Tomlinson marches towards his host’s office determined to cut someone’s head off by the end of the day, preferably James Scott’s head, but he’ll take whichever is the most accessible at the moment. It might be the annoying secretary hounding him.

“Sir, please slow down! Your request for an audience hasn’t gotten through yet.”

Troy stops and turns to face the smaller omega, meeting his big startled brown eyes with a malicious grin.

“Oh! I’m sorry, my request hasn’t gotten through yet, I didn’t know.”

There’s something deeply threatening in the uncharacteristic soft tone Troy’s employing, making the poor omega tremble in fear.

“Yes sir. I’m s-sorry. I really a-”

In a swift, leveled, effortless movement, Troy grabs the omega by the throat and pushes him against the closest wall, the impact resonating throughout the small corridor.

“What did you say your name was again?”

The omega tries to speak up, but Troy’s hold blocks the werewolf’s airways preventing him from answering. Smiling wide, Troy loosens his grip just enough for the omega to let out a small wheeze.

“Tom? Is that what you’re so pathetically trying to say?” The omega nods as much as Troy’s fist will allow.

“Good. Nice to meet you Tom. Now here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to let you go in a moment and you’re going to run out of my sight as fast as you can until you can’t run anymore. And once you feel like you can’t possibly make another step you’re going to continue running until every part of your body burns under excruciating pain and until you pass out from exhaustion. Maybe when you wake up and try to walk on your aching legs, maybe then will you realize, Tom, that an omega never interferes with Alpha business.”

The alpha order, booming in the empty corridor is impossible to ignore. As soon as Troy releases his grip, the omega bolts under the Alpha’s delighted gaze. He sighs and turns to his trusted bodyguards,

“I feel much more relaxed now. Shall we go?”

\---

James Scott frowns at the spy report laying on his desk like it offended him personally. The annoying omega might really be a problem now. He hadn’t thought the Styles pack would go as far as making him officially their own. In fact, he’d counted on the opposite. Why would anyone want to keep such an unmanageable omega in the first place?

James Scott grunts thinking he has no other choice but to confront Troy Tomlinson with the news that not only is his son alive, but they’d had him locked down for a while. He shudders dreadfully. Whatever Louis might have thought, there’s no way Troy wouldn’t take offense to James kidnapping his son.

James sighs in defeat. The negotiations weren’t going exactly where he wanted them to go anyway. In the beginning, James hadn’t imagined that Alpha Tomlinson would be so forceful and intimidating. Even though Troy was only a guest, he’d acted as if he owned the place, parading around, bodyguards in tow and scaring the help away in the process. Needless to say, James didn’t appreciate such a disrespectful behaviour. He was starting to regret inviting the other Alpha in the first place.

The door to his office springs opened just as he shoves the incriminating report under a pile of other reports. As he locks eyes with a fuming Alpha, James shivers and tries to remind himself he’s the one in charge as long as they’re on the Scott territory.

“Alpha Tomlinson, I wasn’t expecting you today.” James’ proud of the way his voice isn’t trembling at all, not showing any of the panic that’s overtaking his racing mind.

“Yes, so I’ve heard.” Troy takes a seat in the armchair facing his desk both guards stoically flanking him.

Trembling slightly James’ hand reaches the intercom on his desk, “Tom, bring us some coffee, will you?”

Silence falls as James waits for an answer from his secretary which usually comes within seconds. As silence on the other end lingers, Troy smiles slightly making James cough uncomfortably. “Tom?” Silence again. Troy’s smile widens increasing James’ uneasiness. “Tom, can you hear me?”

“I’m afraid your secretary is rather indisposed at the moment.”

Troy’s amusement sends shivers down James’ spine.

“Rest assured, there’s no need to fuss about coffee, I won’t be here very long. I wanted to talk about my son. Louis. I think you’ve encountered him recently, am I wrong?”

James gulps as he tries to read Troy’s amused expression and figure out what the Alpha knows. As he opens his mouth to answer vaguely, Troy cuts him off,

“Don’t lie to me James. I know you kidnapped my son and I know he escaped. There’s no point in denying it.”

James sits up straighter, deciding not to show any more of the fear Troy instills in him.

“I’d be careful about what you do next Troy. I have spies with eyes on your son. One call from me and Louis’ just as good as dead.” James hopes his bluff will at least buy him some time to figure something out.

Troy’s laugh chills James’ bones to the core and confuses him to no end. Unsure of what to say, he waits until Troy stops laughing maniacally and fusses with the papers on his desk. James forces himself to keep his calm, after all, Troy is only a guest here.

“James you’re an idiot.” Troy’s lingering smile doesn’t reach his cold gaze. “You think I’m mad because you had my son locked down?”

“Yes?” James’ bafflement certainly shows.

“I’m furious because you let him go!”

“What?” James’ confusion morphs into horror and apprehension.

“Honestly, when I banished him, I thought he wouldn’t last a week. Unfortunately, the bastard’s tougher than I thought.”

James heart beats harder. Only a cold sociopathic man could treat his son’s life so frivolously.

“I’m not sure I understand. Why would you want your son dead?”

“I have my reasons and they don’t concern you. But please, feel free to make that call you were talking about earlier. I would much appreciate it.”

Sweat drips down James back and his mouth goes dry.

“Well… you see…”

“Actually, if you manage to bring him to me alive, James, I might even consider signing that partnership we were discussing yesterday.”

James’ eyes bulge in surprise and greed, knowing he can’t possibly pass on that opportunity. Troy signing this deal would mean a great deal of expansion for the Scott pack’s territory along with an incredibly fruitful partnership with a very powerful pack. He’ll be damned if he lets a bastardised little omega stand between him and prosperity.

“Consider it done then.” James hears himself say, distracted by thoughts of the deal Troy’s offering to sign.

“Good.” Troy gets up and makes to leave but stops at the door,

“Oh and, James?”

“Yes?” James head snaps back to Troy’s eyes.

“I expect results before the end of the week, I have other business to tend to.”

James swallows nervously,

“Of course.”

\---

As they run towards the ever-growing wall of smoke, they notice a large dark furred werewolf running in their direction. He stops abruptly in front of Harry, bowing his head in submission, waiting for permission to speak. 

“Ian, what is it?”

“Alpha Styles! Good evening sir. I was just coming to request an audience with you.”

Although Harry stays calm on the surface, Louis can feel the worry growing in his soulmate as Ian’s panicked state becomes evident.

“What’s going on?”

“Sir… I’m not so sure actually. It’s James Scott…”

“I gathered that already. What’s with the fire?”

“I think maybe you should see this for yourself sir.”

\---

The surreal sight before them leaves them baffled. There, in front of an enormous bonfire stands James Scott draped in a flamboyant outfit, an impossibly annoying smirk on his face while multiple werewolves form a circle around the fire chanting and signing complicated symbols into the air in unison.

“Oh! good you’re here. I thought I’d have to fetch you, how convenient.” James says as soon as Harry and Louis come into earshot.

Harry holds back an urge to grunt at yet another ridiculous display of useless drama from their neighbouring pack.

“What are you doing James?”

“Why, I’m breaking the border curse of course so that I can invade your territory.”

Harry snorts. “This is absurd, no one’s ever been able to do that.”

“Actually no. There’s a pack to the east, the Wilkinson pack, maybe you’ve heard of them?” James says, satisfied.

“Yeah, bunch of snobs that lot.” Louis grunts mostly to himself, remembering his encounter with them some years before.

James looks at Louis, smiling widely, “They _are_ snobs, aren’t they?” James turns his attention back to Harry, “Anyhow, they discovered or rather one of their witches discovered how to break the spell and they graciously accepted to help us out.”

“You’re bluffing.” Harry’s anger builds, protective, as Louis’ fear rises in their soul bond. Louis tugs on his sleeve and whispers,

“Harry… I did go through the Wilkinson’s territory and they had a really powerful witch. She made the curse work on me. I couldn’t step into their territory without getting sick even though I’m a rogue.”

“Was.” Harry corrects sternly.

“Right. When I _was_ a rogue.” Louis smiles softly, memories of the night before rushing back and love swelling in their bond. For a moment the rest of the world fades away as they both rejoice in their undeterred happiness. James Scott, feeling ignored, frowns and coughs exuberantly, effectively bringing them out of their reverie.

“Still might be a bluff.” Harry whispers, knowing full well James would have never done anything like that if it weren’t for his mysterious newfound alliance. Without knowing who those allies are though, it’s hard to determine if James has the power to take over Harry’s troops or not. Still, over the years, Harry’s come to understand James Scott. His bark’s always scarier than the bite. The Alpha loves drama and causing it but shies away from a fight every chance he gets. Alone, James Scott is harmless. It’s the unknown ally that Harry’s worried about.

Finally, he decides to play along, “What do you want James?”

James smile grows and he takes a breath, reveling in his moment.

“Well since you ask. There is something I want more than your territory, Styles.”

James pauses happy to have such an attentive public.

“Go on, James.” Harry says impatiently.

“I want Louis.”

Harry growls, stepping forward menacingly, “_What_ is your obsession with Louis?”

James takes a step back discreetly without losing his confident demeanor. Or so he hopes.

“Let’s just say someone wants to say hi.”

“Who?” Harry snarls, anger taking over his thoughts.

“My father.” Louis murmurs as he connects the dots from his previous meeting with James.

Harry’s eyes widen, realizing what this means. James Scott has allied with the Tomlinson pack. All Harry knows about them is what Louis’ told him and there’s nothing reassuring about that.

Silence falls over them leaving only the faint sounds of chanting and fire crackling.

“So? What will it be?” James says, exhilarated.

Harry panics sensing the sudden resolution in Louis.

“I’ll go.”

Harry grips Louis’ arm before the omega can make a move forward.

“Louis! No!”

“I have to do this Harry.”

“This is suicide Louis!”

He adds, softer and only for Louis’ ears, “Let’s be smarter about this. Please. Trust me okay?”

Louis’ resolution falters, but he finally concedes in a tiny nod.

“Will you give us some time to think?” Harry asks.

It lasts only a fraction of a second, but there’s a fleeting hesitation in James’ eyes.

“Very well. You have until tomorrow at dawn.”

“Do you agree to pause whatever this is until then?”

“You have my word.”

Harry nods and hastily drags Louis away from the border towards headquarters not leaving him out of his sight for a second.


	38. Being pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dislike November with a passion. My motivation during this month always dissipates with the sun -.-"   
But today I woke up and it was snowing! And I was reconciled with November a little. Well... enough to finish this chapter.   
Hope you're all doing all right 😘

Louis lies awake draped in Harry’s arms. Neither of them is sleeping as they’re both too preoccupied. Louis tries to enjoy what little time he has left in the comfort of his soulmate’s embrace, but his mind is racing. Harry’s arms tighten around him and his voice comes out barely a whisper, “There’s nothing I can do to change your mind, can’t I?”

Louis shakes his head, silenced by the anguish he feels in Harry’s part of their bond. He hates himself for causing his soulmate stress, but he needs to confront his father, there’s no way around it.

“I want to mate you, Louis. I want you to be mine and I want to be yours. I can’t let you go alone in a dangerous situation when we’re not even…” Harry’s trails off, holding Louis close as if needing the reassurance that he is there now.

“Yes, okay.” Louis says, head buried in Harry’s chest.

“Yeah?” Harry loosens his grip in order to look in Louis’ eyes.

“I want you to be my mate Harry.”

Harry’s answering kiss is passionate and demanding. Louis responds with everything he has, trusting Harry completely.

\---

Louis adjusts his backpack for the umpteenth time in a nervous gesture. Every branch cracking under his feet resonates loudly in the silent woods. The crescent moon provides little light, accentuating shadows and making trees look taller than they are. Louis hopes he hasn’t made the wrong decision. There’s no doubt in his mind that his father is behind all this. He has no idea what he intends to do when he finally faces the Alpha, but he knows he needs to confront Troy nonetheless, to end this once and for all. Still what he wouldn’t give to be surrounded in Harry’s warmth again, as he was just a couple of hours ago. A shuffling sound in the leaves to his right side makes him stop walking abruptly.

He listens, frozen into place until a squirrel pokes his nose out of the bushes. Louis lets out the breath he was holding. He hasn’t been that nervous since his first month of banishment. He swallows and brings a hand to his neck, pressing a finger to the fresh bite mark just underneath his jaw bringing back memories of a familiar rainy scent, green eyes and security. Images of his soulmate holding him tightly, the feeling of his knot and his possessive growl as he bit into Louis’ neck, help relax him a little. The clarity in their bond now that they are mated is uncanny. It’s as if a part of Harry is always with him and vice versa. He can tap into what Harry feels and where he is at any moment. Now, as he crosses the border, a stabbing pain in his head starting immediately, he’s so glad he can feel Harry’s strength guiding him through it. As he advances further into Scott’s territory, trying to ignore his throbbing skull, he remembers how Harry had wanted to prepare him food right after the mating. He’d picked Louis up and settled him on the counter as he prepared an unsettling number of breakfast foods. Louis had felt as if he was in a haze as if he were dropping but remaining conscious of his surroundings.

_“Louis!” Louis’ head snaps up from the gigantic breakfast plate Harry had prepared him to look at a bewildered Niall._

_“Liam! Zayn! Come look!” Louis cringes at Niall’s loudness in the dark and silent house. Last time he checked, it was close to midnight and there were puppies sleeping in nearby rooms. Zayn and Liam come running to the kitchen, disheveled and half naked. _

_“What? Are you okay Ni’?”_

_“Are you hurt?”_

_Both alphas run to Niall probing and prodding to see if Niall is all right. _

_Niall rolls his eyes, “I’m fine dear alphas. But look!” Niall goes to point at the bite mark on Louis’ neck but brushes it slightly. The contact brings vivid images of his mating and Louis feels himself slip in a fuzzy, comfortable state._

_“Niall! Don’t touch it, you’ll make him drop!” Louis hears Liam yell in the background as he slips into a comfortable cloud._

_Niall removes his hand hastily, clearing Louis’ mind slowly back to normal._

_“Sorry Louis! I forgot how sensitive it was right after…”_

_Louis blushes, still fairly uncomfortable with dropping in public and laughs nervously,_

_“It’s okay Niall.”_

_“Where’s Harry?” Zayn asks._

_“He said he was going to make dessert breakfast… whatever that means.”_

_“Aw, he’s being an over-the-top protective alpha mate, isn’t he?” Liam says, smirking._

_Louis shrugs, unable to hide the stupid smile spreading on his face._

_“I guess.”_

_“I’m so happy for you two, Louis.”_

_“Yeah, congrats Louis.”_

\---

As he makes progress inside Scott’s territory, the pain subsides and Louis can’t help his small grin thinking about Harry, his mate.

“You’re early.”

Louis’ heart jumps in his chest as he turns around and is met with James Scott’s smirk. Behind him are the two bulky alphas Louis had already met the last time he’d crossed that border. Louis’ eyes widen in a show of surprise, imitating a deer caught in headlights as much as possible, hoping it looks credible enough.

“Now, let me see what you have there.”

James grabs Louis’ backpack and Louis lets the straps fall off his shoulders, acting intimidated the best he can. Judging by the growing smirk on James’ face, he buys it.

“Tsk, tsk… Louis, you should have known better.” James says, picking up a knife from Louis’ bag. He gives it to one of his bodyguards who pockets it before returning to an indifferent stance. Louis eyes the knife in what he hopes is a longing look.

“Don’t get any ideas now, Louis. Michael here is a black belt in any martial art you can think of and an amazing boxer. Trust me, if he has any say in it, you’re not going to see that knife again.”

\---

_They’re in Harry’s office with the rest of the council. As Harry relates the events leading up to this, Louis can’t help but feel the guilt build up in his stomach. If he hadn’t come into their territory uninvited, the styles’ pack wouldn’t have had to deal with this drama. But then, Harry finishes his report, and everybody seems deep in thought, wrapping their heads around the problem, but nobody’s blaming Louis or suggesting that he give himself up for the pack’s sake._

_After a moment of somber silence, Harry speaks again,_

_“James isn’t dangerous. He was always into theatrics but never went through with anything. We can prepare to defend ourselves if push comes to shove, but I’m convinced he’s bluffing.”_

_“You’re right if James is alone in this, but if he’s in fact allied with Troy Tomlinson, we could be in trouble.” Gregory says, a hand rubbing at his eyes tiredly._

_Louis swallows, still expecting someone to suggest his departure. “The Tomlinson territory isn’t very close. My father is probably here with only a handful of people, I don’t think he traveled with any military power.” _

_“I think we should ignore him and prepare ourselves in case he decides to make good on his threat.”_

_Louis’ confused to see everybody, even Gregory, nod their heads in agreement with Harry. He’s touched that nobody is even considering the obvious easy way out. Still, he can’t hide in fear all his life. _

_ “Harry…”_

_Of course, Harry shakes his head immediately,_

_“I don’t want you in danger Lou… please.” Harry’s pleading eyes bore into Louis’ soul. He doesn’t want to cause Harry any pain, but he knows what he has to do. _

_“You still want to go, don’t you?”_

_Louis nods curtly, aware of the anguish in Harry’s eyes. _

_“Okay. Let’s figure out how to help you out then.” Niall says. Harry’s head snaps towards him._

_“Niall.” Harry growls menacingly._

_“Harry, you know as well as me that Louis is going to go either way. It’s better if we back him up and reduce the risk.” Harry knows Niall’s right, but he can’t bear the idea of Louis alone on a dangerous territory._

_“Lou… what do you intend to do exactly… just talk to him or…” Catherine asks._

_“Yeah… I guess so. I just want… closure.” _

_Harry can feel his soulmate’s resolution and desire in their bond. He sighs, “All right. Let’s think this through then.”_

_Louis’ overwhelmed with gratefulness as everybody nods and readies themselves to help him. As new as it is, he guesses solidarity in a – no _his_ \- pack is something he’ll have to get used to. He can think of worst things to get used to._

_“I have an idea.” Niall says with a small smile. _

\---

Acting scared is harder than Louis had thought. When everything goes exactly to plan, he has a hard time keeping a smirk at bay. Biting his tongue, he forces his gaze on the ground in a show of submission.

“All right, let’s go see your father, shall we?”

Louis’ head snaps up, playing up his surprise. He didn’t expect James to outright say it so soon and part of him still hoped his father had nothing to do with all of this. James, clearly pleased by Louis’ reaction, had probably planned for the theatrics. Niall was right, all this guy wants is to create a good show. Well, _bring it on_, Louis thinks as he’s lead towards Scott’s headquarters.


	39. How to put on a show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who am I? This is a Monday AND it's only been a week since my last update? I don't recognize myself, I tell ya O.o
> 
> Can't believe this is chapter 39... when I thought it would be a 20 chapters affair at the start... HAHA silly me... Anyway thanks for your support throughout the creation of this 80k words monster. <3

Louis manages to keep his head down, looking scared until they’re close to the valley. He knows the hard part is ahead and its success depends on Niall’s logic. So far, Niall’s plan hasn’t failed him, so he has to go all in and trust it’ll work. As soon as they step into the pathway Greg had established as the best spot, Louis starts to chuckle.

He bites his bottom lip as if trying to stifle his laughter effectively making James stop walking and turn around with a tilt to his head and an arch eyebrow.

“What the hell are you smiling for, kid? You know you’re in deep trouble here, right?”

Louis’ eyes widen as if he were caught doing something he shouldn’t have. James’ now frowning at Louis who does his best to look as if he’s trying not to smile. Seeing James’ irritated expression, Louis thinks they should give him an Oscar already.

\---

_“How do you know James himself is going to fetch Louis?”_

_“James gets off on giving the _illusion_ of power, that much is clear. But as I understand it, Louis, your father gets off on _actually_ exercising power, right?”_

_“Yeah. That’s right.” _A gigantic understatement_, Louis thinks._

_“I don’t think those two get along very well. I think James wants Troy out of his house as soon as possible. He probably made a deal involving Louis and once that’s done, Troy will be on his merry way. Not only is he eager to end this but Louis has bruised his ego more than once in the past, he probably wants to see him scared and intimidated just for the fun of it.”_

_Everybody around the table nods their ascent except for Harry whose low threatening growl makes Niall bend his neck in submission while Louis barely manages to resist the urge._

_“I don’t like this.” Harry says through gritted teeth, knuckles white where he’s gripping the desk tightly. Louis rests what he hopes is a comforting hand on them._

_“I’ll be fine Harry, you said it yourself. James’ bark is scarier than his bite.” At Louis’ calming voice, some of the tension alleviates in their bond, but Harry is nowhere near relaxed, jaw clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Niall chips in,_

_“I may have a way to ensure Louis’ safety from a distance. Gregory, what’s the best spot, close to the border, that would give us an advantage in a fight?”_

_Gregory frowns as he analyzes the map displayed on Harry’s desk. _

_“A couple of spots, but closest from here would be right there.” Gregory mumbles in his usual unaffected tone, “It’s a valley only on Scott’s side, so we’d have higher ground. It’s almost surrounded by our border; we could have soldiers posted alongside it. I have a squad trained to ignore the trespassing pains; I can mobilize them easily.”_

_“Good. So, all we need to do is make sure the confrontation with Louis’ father happens in that little valley where we can back Louis up if things go sour.”_

_“Oh, is that all? How are we going to do that?” Catherine says, arching an eyebrow, unimpressed. _

_Niall smiles, excitement shining in his eyes, “with someone like James Scott? Easy…”_

\---

“We’re not going further until you explain yourself. What is so funny?”

Louis “tries” to school his expression back to his previous submissive demeanor but makes the struggle apparent. “Nothing’s funny sir.” Louis says, in a “neutral” tone.

“Is that right?” James gestures to one of the bodyguards who grabs Louis’ shoulder harshly, Louis “gulps” acting up his fear. Everything’s going so well, it feels like something’s bound to go wrong at some point.

\---

_“Now, Louis, you said there were two bodyguards last time, correct?” _

_Louis nods, “Yes, and during my first encounter with James, they were there too.”_

_“Good. So, it’s safe to assume they’ll probably be there again if James comes to get you in person. Now you said last time you stole a key from them. Could you swipe say… a knife?”_

_Louis ponders that for a second. A key is smaller, less heavy. But Louis’ confidant that he can find a way, so he nods._

_“If you carry a backpack in, they’ll probably search you. If we plant a knife there, it’s safe to assume one of the bodyguards is going to end up with it. You could retrieve it as you did the key last time and use it if push comes to shove.”_

_Louis nods, one hand playing with his bottom lip as he’s already thinking up ways of getting back the knife._

_“Yeah, all right, I can probably do that. As long as I create a distraction. Last time I made them fight me so I could get close enough without them realizing.”_

_Harry growls at his side making Louis’ heart jump in his chest._

_“You’re not making them fight you.”_

_“Harry…”_

_“No. You’ll have to find another way Louis.”_

_The stern look Harry gives him is enough to make Louis nod in understanding. He’ll just have to figure something out._

James looms over Louis menacingly, the two bodyguards grabbing his shoulders tightly behind him. It isn’t too difficult for Louis to look intimidated.

“Now, I’ll ask you again one last time. What. Is. So. Funny?”

Louis averts his gaze. Knowing he can’t submit too easily, or it would look suspicious, he shakes his head, “Nothing, sir. I was just… nervous.” Louis hopes James isn’t going to be dense enough to believe that.

James smiles, obviously enjoying the way Louis recoils in fear. “Unfortunately for you Louis, I don’t believe you. I think you had a reason to laugh and I think I’ll make you tell me one way or another.” The bodyguards’ grips tighten and Louis whines in pain. Louis gulps again, hoping he’s not overselling it. Then, he looks back up, a “sudden” resurgence of confidence and defiance.

“You underestimated Harry.”

“Oh, is that right?”

Louis lets a moment of hesitation pass over his expression before going back to his defiant stance.

“Yes. Do you think he’d let his mate get thrown into the lion’s den without any back-up?”

James seems to notice the fresh bite mark on Louis’ neck, frown deepening. Louis’ thankful for Harry’s possessiveness, wanting everyone to be able to see his mating mark, making his story slightly more believable.

“Back up?” James says, a hint of worry in his voice. Louis shuts his lips tightly, looking down as if regretting what he just revealed. James grabs Louis’ neck applying pressure menacingly, but not enough to cut his airway. _All bark, no bite, _Louis thinks.

Louis’ mating mark starts to burn under the Alpha’s hands, and he’s thrown off by the sudden discomfort.

\---

Under the covers of the trees, looking down at the scene in the small valley, Harry snarls darkly. He can feel Louis’ discomfort as loud as if it were his own. Seeing red, with no other need than to protect his mate, Harry lunges forward. He growls louder when a force pulls him back into cover. Harry turns towards the offender, standing between him and his mate.

“Harry for fuck’s sake. Snap out of it! Louis is okay, everything’s going according to plan. We move only when Troy shows up.” It takes a moment before it registers that the voice is Zayn’s voice and that he’s gripping Zayn’s arm tight enough to leave a bruise. He shakes his head slightly and swallows back his wolf’s instincts. He has to get a grip and trust his soulmate, or he’ll be the one putting him in danger. He turns back to the scene unfolding before them. He has to admit; Louis is a good actor. Harry keeps having to search their bond to confirm Louis isn’t actually scared but feeling rather confident. An impressive feat for an omega as tiny as him surrounded by three large alphas. _God, his mate is a badass._

\---

Louis’ hands go to grab James’ in an attempt to make him back off, but the two bodyguards are quick to restrain his arms behind his back firmly. Louis struggles to get out of their holds, knowing full well it’s a lost cause, but the scuffle provides a good enough distraction for the shining blade of a knife to disappear underneath his sleeve unnoticed. He resists the urge to punch James’ pleased smirk and quickens his breath to look scared instead.

“Talk.” James says sternly applying a bit more pressure on Louis’ neck.

_Here we go_, Louis thinks.

“Harry has implemented spies on your territory years ago. They’ll protect me as soon as we get to headquarters. They helped me escape once before.”

_Please take the bait, please take the bait, please take the bait_.

“Who?” Louis’ eyes widen a bit in surprise. Of course, Louis’ bluffing so even if he wanted to give any names, he couldn’t. He should have seen that question coming. He puts some confidence back in his eyes.

“Who do you think?” Louis says, as if it were so evident James should know already. It’s a gamble, but Louis stifles a sigh of relief when James says,

“Is it Tom?”

Louis hopes this Tom isn’t going to get in too much trouble because of this, but he keeps a straight face not confirming nor denying anything. They stare at each other for a moment, gaging each other as Louis ignores his mating mark burning under James’ unwanted touch as best as he can. James finally breaks eye contact, looking up over Louis’ head.

“Al’, take over. Frank, go get Troy Tomlinson, bring him back here.”

“Sir, it’s a little early, he’s probably sleeping still.”

Louis has to refrain from laughing while James’s stare sends daggers in Frank’s direction.

“I don’t care if he’s sleeping! Wake him up. We’re finishing this here and there. Our little friend here says he’s got some help waiting for him in headquarters. Well, then, we won’t _get_ to headquarters.”

“Of course, sir, I’ll be right back with Mr. Tomlinson.”

James keeps his eyes on Louis as Frank departs hastily. Louis does his best to look petrified, as if James had managed to mess up their plans.

James lets go of Louis’ neck making him sigh in relief.

“Don’t let go of him Al’. We wouldn’t want him to get any ideas while we wait patiently for his father now, would we?”


	40. Freak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is it chapter 40?? What is my life? Jesus...

“Once again James, that’s some very underwhelming work from you.” Troy’s unimpressed expression doesn’t betray any emotion at seeing his long-lost son while Louis does his best not to betray the myriad of sentiments hitting him like a punch to the gut. There, so close, stands his father, the one who banished him, who made him believe he wasn’t enough, made him believe he was defective, a freak. But still, some part of him wants his acceptance, his love. He had hoped that after all this time, after all Louis’ been through, Troy would have lost some of his standing, that he wouldn’t intimidate Louis as much. But under his father’s judging eyes, Louis feels twelve all over again.

Even without Al’s strong hold, he doesn’t think he could move, stuck between wanting to run away as fast as possible and stick a knife through his father’s stone-cold heart.

There’s an undeniable tightness to James’ jaw when he answers Troy,

“I completed my end of the bargain, Troy. Here’s your son, you can do with him as you please just as long as you hold up your part of the deal.”

Troy ignores James in favor of smiling at Louis. There’s nothing warm about that smile, Louis recognizes it. Experience has shown that something fairly hurtful comes right after that smile.

“Well, Louis, I must say. You’re tougher than I thought. I really thought you’d be dead already.” There’s no pride in his father’s voice, only annoyance, like Louis purposefully put a wrench to Troy’s plans by not dying.

“Sorry about that.” Louis says in a sarcastic and more confident tone than he feels. Troy laughs, but there’s no humor in it. He takes a step forward and Louis jerks back, out of sheer instinct, but the alpha behind him doesn’t let up.

“Still the disrespectful, mouthy omega you were years ago I see.” His father’s towering over him and Louis has to force himself not to give the signal just yet. He still needs to know, needs to understand why his father hates him so much. It’s like scratching a scab even though nothing good will come of it.

\---

Harry’s going crazy. They have to wait for Louis’ signal, he promised his soulmate he’d wait for the signal. But, seeing him cornered like this, feeling how scared he is, Harry doesn’t think he’ll be able to wait much longer. He keeps thinking of all the awful things the man towering over his mate has done and all he wants to do is rip this man apart until there’s nothing left to recognize.

When Troy advances and tries to jerk back, Harry takes an instinctive step forward. Zayn’s arm is the only thing keeping him from pouncing and Harry knows it won’t keep him away for much longer.

_Damn it. Louis’ completely stuck between a bulky alpha and his father. Why doesn’t he give the signal already?_

\---

“Why? Why do you want me dead? You didn’t have to see me ever again; I was already banished. Why go through all this trouble just to kill me? Do you hate me that much?”

Louis hates how small he sounds.

“Louis, to hate someone you have to care for them. I don’t hate you; I despise you. You disgust me.”

Louis’ confusion must show because his father laughs again, that awful ominous laugh that makes shivers run down Louis’ spine.

“Johanna didn’t tell you much, did she?”

Louis’ eyes widen. How does he know he talked to Johanna?

“Yes, I know Johanna’s on Styles territory.” Troy smirks, “it’s an offense I won’t take lightly, trust me. Now I’m guessing she didn’t tell you about the day you were born?”

Louis swallows, trying to regain his composure.

“I know she’s my real mother. I know you thought I was an alpha at first.” Louis tries to infuse confidence in his words, but there’s a glint in his father’s eyes that worries him.

“I didn’t think you were an alpha, Louis, you _were_ an alpha.”

Louis frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You had a knot and you smelled like an alpha, but you were submissive, responded to alpha commands and your smell changed to one of an omega’s eventually. For a while, you were both alpha and omega. I had no use for an alpha son, one who’d try to take over in my place. But an omega… I could probably arrange a marriage, make a deal with another pack. So, I had your knot removed.”

Louis’ heart is pounding in his chest and his mouth goes dry. He was as much an alpha as he was an omega. He _is_ a freak.

“I was told you’d be a normal omega.” Troy laughs again and shakes his head, “normal omega my ass. There’s nothing normal about you Louis even you have to know that. You became a defiant werewolf, not omega and not alpha. A freak.” Louis closes his eyes, trying to clear his mind.

“When you started to disobey alpha commands, people started to talk. Saying you’d take my place as Alpha. Well, I can’t have that, can I?”

Louis opens his eyes again. So that is why. That’s why his father wants to kill him. That’s why he banished him. Because he’s threatened.

\---

_“So, can you tell right before?”_

_“Right before someone decides to shift you mean?” _

_Louis nods. Niall takes another sip of his second coffee before answering. _

_Louis’ on his third cup of tea and they’ve been at it for two hours already. Louis’ enthralled by Niall’s knowledge on body language, he could do this all day. He’s been telling Louis about knowing when someone lies, when they feel nervous, when they’re aggressive or prone to anger. All information Louis wishes he could have had years ago._

_“Number of ways.” Niall says, “As for any reading in body language you have to look for multiple telltales all combining together. Just one isn’t usually enough.”_

_Louis nods, to show he’s following, Niall continues. _

_“If you see blading combined with hair bristles I’d say, you’re in trouble.”_

_“What’s blading?”_

_“It’s the term for protecting your vital organs before engaging in a fight. The person will want to present their side instead of their front, so they will put a leg slightly in front of the other unconsciously. It’s also a big tell for a werewolf preparing to shift since we’re most vulnerable at that exact moment. It’s instinctual.”_

_“And hair bristling?”_

_“Right before we shift, you’ve probably noticed on yourself too, goosebumps and the likes.”_

_“Yeah, but you can’t see someone else’s goosebumps…”_

_“Of course not, but the hair at the back of the neck rises up, and that’s visible if you know where to look.”_

\---

Louis sees it. The bristle of hair at the nape of his father’s neck as he’s bringing one foot in front of the other. He’s going to shift. Louis raises one leg and kicks his father in the chest. Troy stumbles backwards in surprise, giving enough time for Louis to look towards Harry’s hiding spot and nod twice: the signal for them to intervene.

Then everything happens so fast. He hears Harry’s growl before he sees him running as he shifts to his imposing wolf form, leading a dozen werewolves behind him. Shock makes Al’ release his grip and Louis’ able to free his hands.

Troy growls threateningly then glares at Louis right before shifting into his gray muscular wolf form. Louis doesn’t have time to shift and he knows it’s hopeless to run, it’s too late. He barely has time to get a hand on the concealed knife in his sleeve before his father jumps and placates him to the ground. Louis struggles but he’s too small. He can’t help the yelp of pain escaping his lips as sharp teeth dig into his neck. He feels the blood running down his shoulder and struggles again to get free only managing to drive his father’s teeth deeper into his skin. His vision becomes blurry and he tries to call for Harry, but his voice gets stuck in his throat and the world goes black.

\---

Harry cries out as he feels his soulmate’s pain. He’s too far, too late. He shouldn’t have waited for Louis’ signal. He should have killed Louis’ father when he had the chance. He doesn’t think he’s ever run that fast. James’ bodyguard makes a pathetic attempt to stop him. Harry makes quick work of sending the bodyguard flying trusting the others to take care of him and James. All he can think about is getting to his soulmate, his omega, his Louis.

His Louis who isn’t moving anymore underneath the big gray wolf. He collides with Troy’s wolf form but is startled by the lack of fight in Louis’ father. It’s only when Troy goes limp on the ground that he sees the knife planted deeply in his flank. Harry’s attention goes instantly back to Louis who lies on the ground blood all over his neck and chest. Harry shifts back to his human form and uses his hands to put pressure on the bleeding wound.

“Louis! Lou! Please wake up!”

His own voice sounds foreign, panicked and small. Through a blurry vale, he tries to assess the damage. He blinks and he sees his mother, blood everywhere, blinks again and Louis’ back, blinks, his mother’s lifeless underneath him, blinks and Louis’ there. He shakes his head. He has to get a grip. He needs to be there for Louis.

“Hazza?” Louis’ voice comes out a broken whisper effectively cutting through Harry’s rattled mind. There’s chaos around them, Harry’s vaguely aware of James’ protests, he frankly doesn’t care about that right now.

“Yes, love I’m here. I’m right here. Can you open your eyes for me baby?”

Louis frowns and makes a tiny incomprehensible sound, but he’s breathing, and Harry tries to focus on that. Searching their bond, Harry only finds sharp pain. He forces himself to take a deep breath and infuse their bond with calm and warmth knowing that’s what his soulmate needs right now.

“Harry, we need to get him to the hospital.” Zayn’s bloody shirt comes into view. He seems out of breath, but Harry doesn’t have time to ponder on that. He takes Louis in his arms, holds him tight and runs as fast as he can.

\---

The waiting is excruciating. It had taken three alphas to get him out of the operating room under Olivia’s orders and he has half a mind to get in there again, to make sure Louis is still breathing although he knows just by searching their bond. Still he’s aware that the best thing he can do right now is to get out of the way and let the doctors work. It doesn’t alleviate the anxiety, though.

He’s pacing, running a hand through his hair every two seconds. Zayn, Niall and Liam are all sitting close together, trying to comfort each other. Harry’s never seen the waiting room so silent. Every patient and family member there understanding the gravity of their Alpha’s state of mind, the importance of Louis’ life not only for their Alpha’s well-being, but, indirectly, for their pack’s well-being.

A door opens and Harry looks up. He doesn’t wait for Olivia to get to him, he runs towards her, questions in his eyes.

“He’s okay, Harry. He’s okay.” Olivia says as soon as Harry’s within earshot. Her words release all the tension Harry was holding in his shoulders and in his chest and he feels tears roll down his cheeks.

“He’s okay?” He repeats, as if not fully believing it yet.

“Yes. He’s resting right now, but the operation went well. With his alpha by his side, he should heal in no time. You can come see it for yourself.”

Harry wipes his tears uselessly as others fall down in their place. _Louis’ okay._ He keeps repeating that to himself as he follows Olivia towards Louis’ room.


	41. The mating scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right. So. Some readers were disappointed that I glossed over the mating scene. This is me rectifying it. 
> 
> Disclaimer: This whole chapter is only smut, so if you're not interested in that, no worries, you can skip it without missing on any of the plot. Also, as you all know, this scene was before Louis went to confront his father, so keep that in mind. 
> 
> Back to our regular schedule on Monday <3

“Yes, okay.” Louis says, head buried in Harry’s chest.

“Yeah?” Harry loosens his grip in order to look in Louis’ eyes.

“I want you to be my mate Harry.”

Harry’s answering kiss is passionate and demanding. Louis responds with everything he has, trusting Harry completely.

Harry trails down his neck, teasing his ear lobe on the way, giving Louis goosebumps in the process. Louis’ hip bucks up, searching friction, but Harry tuts at him and pushes his waist back into the mattress.

“You’re such a tease Harry Styles.” Louis whines.

“You’re a very impatient little omega Louis Tomlinson.”

“Give me a break. I’m big.” Louis mumbles aware he probably resembles a petulant child, not helping his case. Harry laughs as he trails kisses further down Louis’ neck towards his collarbones. Louis’ hands go to palm Harry’s erection, but Harry laughs again and grips his wrists to keep them immobilized over his head.

“You’re so bossy today.” Louis says, voice rough, tainted with desire.

“You need to stay still,” Harry’s lips ghost over a nipple, “I have to think.” Harry says before gently attacking his nipple with his teeth, immediately soothing it with his tongue. As Louis grows more and more turned on, he almost loses his train of thought.

“What do you have to-“ Louis groans when Harry starts torturing the other nipple, pinching the other with his fingers. “-To think about?”

“Where-” Harry places a kiss to Louis’ now very sensitive nipple, “-I’m going to-“ Harry kisses his way down underneath Louis’ belly button, dangerously close to his pelvis, “-mark you, of course.” Harry gets to work sucking and licking where his lips stopped and by the time a bruise forms Louis’ a panting mess.

“Please Haz’ come on, you can mark me anywhere.” Louis begs as his hands leave their spot from over his head. There’s a fire in Harry’s eyes as he grips them and places them back in their spot. “Really, Lou? Anywhere?” The domineering gaze he gives Louis mixed with the danger in the alpha’s voice doesn’t help the outrageously ignored aching between Louis’ legs.

“Anywhere you want, yes.” Louis says, breathlessly. And it’s almost scary to admit how much he means it. Louis trusts Harry to mark him wherever he wants. Louis trusts his alpha with his own body, with his own well-being more than he trusts himself. He blushes when he feels slick drip down his legs, still unused to giving in to his omega wolf. Harry’s eyes go darker, a low growl in his belly. “Maybe I’ll mark you right there.” Harry says, mostly to himself, teeth teasing Louis’ thighs, right next to his painful erection.

“Yes, anywhere, everywhere, I don’t care Harry.” It’s taking everything in Louis not to try and take some control back, he swallows thickly, focusing on staying still. A difficult feat when Harry’s now blowing on his hard-on, lips inches away, but not touching yet.

“Harry” Louis moans, not caring how needy he sounds. Harry chuckles, but finally, finally, he presses his lips to the crown of Louis’ member. It’s too much and not enough at the same time. Then, he licks from the base up and Louis doesn’t realize he’s pleading again under his breath until Harry says, “Shh, Lou, I got you,” one hand rubbing circles on his belly comfortingly. Louis grips the sheets next to him, not concerned about moving his arms when Harry takes him into his mouth like that, twirling his tongue skillfully around the slit, the way Harry had learned Louis loves. Then Harry slips two fingers inside him and Louis cries out, muscles tensing when Harry starts spreading him open.

“Harry, Jesus, fuck me already, or I’m not going to last.” Louis’ request comes out barely intelligible, words tripping over each other, but Harry seems to understand the idea as he goes for the bedside drawer for a condom and lube. Louis takes advantage of the distraction to flip them over, unable to contain his impatience anymore. Harry lets Louis straddle his hips, erection brushing against each other. Louis makes a show of chucking the lube on the floor and Harry frowns, but Louis’ quick to reassure him.

“I’m wet enough Hazza, I promise.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Louis rolls his eyes. Even when they’re so turned on, they can’t think clearly, Harry’s concerned with Louis’ health. Louis bends down to tease one of Harry’s earlobe and whispers, “You won’t hurt me Haz’, I trust you.”

“Okay, all right.”

Louis smiles and kisses his way down to Harry’s pelvis, tearing the condom opened in the process. “Besides,” Louis plants a kiss to Harry’s hard on, “I have,” another kiss, “indefinite” Louis licks the crown, “permission,” he kisses the underside, “to ride you” another lick to the slit “right?” Harry only groans in response, bucking his hips up. 

Louis uses his mouth to slide the condom down Harry’s stiff member and at Harry’s sharp inhale, he continues sucking on it until Harry’s hands force him off. “I’m going to come early if you don’t stop, love.” Harry says, voice hoarse. They share a deep kiss as Louis positions himself above Harry’s pelvis. The kiss is interrupted, both panting in each other’s mouths as Louis slides down on Harry’s shaft slowly, filling him up in the best way possible. Once Louis’ seated completely, he takes a moment to marvel at the way they fit, as if they were two puzzle pieces made for each other. Harry’s exactly the right length to rub at his pleasure spot every time he’s buried completely and just the right width to make him feel perfectly stretched. Harry growls when he starts moving but lets him set the pace. Louis, hands on Harry’s chest lets himself get lost in the spark of pleasure every time he sits back down.

It’s not long before Luis thighs start to shake with the effort and Harry grips his waist tightly and drives up into him, fucking him faster and driving gasping sounds out of Louis at every thrust. The rhythm picks up and Louis goes pliant in Harry’s hold. When Harry starts to let out primitive groans lost in his own pleasure, Louis has to grip the base of his dick to make sure he doesn’t come right then and there. Sensing Louis’ growing lust, Harry easily flips them over. The change in angle brings Harry’s member to pound straight on Louis’ prostate at every thrust, thrusts which are becoming more and more erratic.

Then everything happens at once, Louis sees black spots just as Harry stops deep inside him, biting down on his neck all the while Louis feels a sudden pressure stretching him further, Harry’s knot bringing him over the edge. It seems as if he comes for minutes on end, spasms taking over his lower body, driving Harry’s knot deeper and rekindling his orgasm all over again. He’s still coming when his vision becomes blurry, head swimming in a fuzzy comfortable state.

\---

Harry bites down on Louis’ neck as he lets his knot grow inside his soulmate for the first time. Something in their bond clicks instantly and he’s rushed with every single one of Louis’ emotions as clearly as if they were his own. His pleasure mixes in with his omega’s overwhelmed state. He licks the red bite mark to close it up and utters reassuring words to his dropping mate. Dropping after a soul bond is perfectly normal for an omega, but Harry the tinge of worry since he knows Louis hasn’t always been comfortable with it. Now, though, as he’s searching their bond, he only finds striking happiness. His knot will take some time to deflate so he carefully positions Louis’s back flush against his chest, arms encompassing him, and nose buried in Louis’ neck. Harry inhales his soulmate’s scent, a scent Harry’s come to love above all else. Usually, an omega’s scent is sweet, but Louis’ scent is more complex. He smells of tea and freshly peeled oranges. Lightheaded, Harry detects his own smell on him and his alpha buzzes in satisfaction.

One arm propping himself up so that he can look at Louis’ peaceful expression, he traces the lines of Louis’ face tenderly with his other hand and monitors his soulmate’s state of mind as he does so, making sure he’s comfortable. His knot starts to go down when he feels it. A low vibration in Louis’ belly, reverberating through Harry’s body. Harry beams, realizing Louis is purring again and knowing he’s the cause for it.

Harry thinks he’s never really known the meaning of happiness before this exact moment. He might have thought he knew. But, now, with his soulmate completely content and purring against him, Harry thinks there’s nothing better than this.


	42. Staying Still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to reiterate to all of you guys who have been reading from the start or have stuck with the fic for a long time: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your support means so much, your comments and kudos have all made it easier to stick to it so far. 
> 
> <3

Harry’s alpha is a mess. He doesn’t think he’s ever been so worried about anyone else in his life. It’s with horror that he realizes if Louis hadn’t made it, he doesn’t think he would have survived the loss. As he walks behind Olivia, his mind keeps going back to the way Louis’ limp body had felt in his arms, the way blood had kept pulling out of his soulmate’s wound while Harry ran as fast as he could to get Louis to the hospital.

When he opens the door to Louis’ room, he has to close his eyes and takes a deep breath. Louis’ hooked up to a drib and a monitor, pale and fragile in the small hospital bed. He reminds himself that Olivia had said he would be fine after a bit of rest and proximity to his alpha. Knowing his presence can help, knowing Harry can alleviate some of his mate’s pain just by being there by his side helps his heartbeat to come down a bit. He opens his eyes and walks towards Louis’ sleeping form, pulling a chair as close as physically possible to the bed while trying to stay silent avoiding waking his soulmate. He wants to hop on the bed with Louis and hold him to sooth his wolf, to convince himself his omega is alive. Not wanting to disturb Louis’ sleep, he settles for taking Louis’ hand in his own and rubs it gently, as much to comfort himself as to comfort the omega.

His alpha’s turmoil mends itself slowly as he takes in Louis’ regular breathing and the warmth of his hand underneath his own. After a serene moment when Harry’s alpha goes back to a somewhat calm place, reassured to see his omega alive and secure, Louis frowns and grunts in pain. Harry’s hand comes up to pet Louis’ hair and he shushes him,

“Sleep, Love. I’m here, you’re okay, relax.” Harry whispers until the frown on Louis’ face evaporates going back to a peaceful expression. When Louis stirs again only five minutes later, Harry murmurs a low “fuck it” under his breath and gets in bed behind Louis, bringing him close to Harry’s chest, rubbing his sides soothingly and occasionally planting kisses to Louis’ cheeks and neck.

\---

Louis wakes up to the familiar scent of rain and a warm hand drawing circles on his stomach. He realizes before he opens his eyes that his back is pressed up unto Harry’s body and he sighs, sinking further into his alpha’s warmth, content. Until he remembers.

Remembers the flash of fear as Troy leaped towards him, as teeth dug deep into him. He remembers the resistance on the knife as he dug it in his father’s side and the blood pulling all over him in response.

Eyes still closed, he tries to move his arm and gets a sharp pain in his shoulder and neck. He whimpers and opens his eyes to look at his bandaged trapezius. His arm is held to his chest by a sling and every little move feels like countless little needles digging into his arm.

“Hey sleepy head.” Harry’s lips speak softly directly in Louis’ ear bringing goosebumps all over Louis’ body.

“Hazza” Louis’ voice comes out gravelly. Harry reaches out to the nightstand and hands Louis a glass of water before Louis even realizes how thirsty he is himself.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that again, love.” Harry plants a kiss to Louis’ temple while he gulps the water down with the hand that isn’t immobilized by a sling. They cuddle in silence, both needing the reassurance of the other’s presence after the morning’s events.

Louis’ mind starts to wonder. He can’t remember anything after stabbing his father. He’d blacked out from his injury, but he has no idea if his father is dead or what happened to James or if anybody else got hurt in the process of rescuing him.

Then, the anxiety in his chest blooms further as he remembers what his father had said. He was born omega _and_ alpha. He was an alpha too before his father decided he wouldn’t be. His breathing picks up as conflicting feelings rush to the surface.

He’s angry at his father for reassigning his gender when he was just a baby who couldn’t consent to anything, who couldn’t make a choice for himself. He’s angry that he never knew when it could have explained so much of Louis’ questions when he was younger, when he had inclinations omegas normally don’t have, when he wanted to hunt and fight, when he felt overly protective of his friends, when he disobeyed his first alpha command, when he was able to shut his omega out completely as he tried to survive on his own. Louis doesn’t know how much of this is due to the way he was born, but it seems to explain a lot now.

Besides anger, there’s also relief because at least, now, he knows. Now he can start to get answers. He can talk to Olivia and figure out what he is exactly.

Most of all, though he’s anxious because he has to tell Harry. He tries to focus on the way Harry had been so accepting so far, had even liked the way Louis was different from other omegas. But there’s a ball of fear in his throat at the thought of revealing how much of a freak he really is. What if Harry’s disgusted like his father had been?

“Harry I-”, words get stuck in his throat and a sudden wave of nausea takes over his body. Damn, he must be in a worse shape than he thought. No matter, he has to tell Harry about who he really is. It wouldn’t be fair to keep this from him. It doesn’t stop words like _freak_ and _not good enough _from spinning in Louis’ mind. Louis’ anguish must bleed in their bond since Harry’s arms encircle him protectively.

“Hey, Lou’, it’s all right. You’re safe. I got you.” Harry’s words break something in Louis, and he can’t help the way his eyes fill up with tears in fear of losing this, of losing Harry after all they’ve been through already. His breathing picks up. Harry will hate him, or worse, he’ll be disgusted by him. But Louis has to pull through, has to tell him.

“I’m-“Louis’ erratic breathing prevents him from getting anything else out.

“Shhh Lou, don’t worry about anything for now, okay?” Louis shakes his head, he needs to get this out, but he can’t calm down enough to speak.

“Just relax love. Breathe.” Louis focuses on the way Harry’s petting his hair, on the regular motion, matching his breathing to it. “There you go. You’re safe baby, you’re safe.” Louis accepts his own weakness for a moment, letting Harry’s loving reassurance sooth him and calm him down. Once he calms enough, he tries again,

“Harry, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it love?” Harry kisses his temple and Louis swallows thickly,

“I was born omega…” He trails off and feels the confusion in their bond.

“Yes?” Harry prompts him to continue.

“And also, alpha. I was both secondary genders.”

There’s a moment of silence where Louis’ certain his heart will beat out of his chest.

“Oh?” is all Harry says. Searching their bond, Louis doesn’t sense any disgust just curiosity.

At that, hope grows in his chest and gives him enough confidence to clarify.

“I was born with a knot, but I was mostly submissive, I responded to alpha commands and my scent settled into one of an omega’s. My father didn’t want an alpha son; he didn’t want someone to take the leader position from him. So, he had my knot removed.”

Harry’s arms tighten around him and a wave of anger crushes through their bond.

“I’m going to kill him.” Harry mutters between clenched teeth. Louis’ confused for a moment. Isn’t he dead? He’d planted a knife into Troy’s wolf form, he’s sure of that, remembers it clearly, but what if… Louis brushes the thought aside, only able to focus on how Harry isn’t disgusted by him yet. He decides to push his luck and confide in his soulmate.

“The thing is… I don’t feel sorry that I don’t have a knot anymore. I don’t think.” Harry’s grip relaxes and he kisses Louis’ neck tenderly.

“It would be okay if you did Louis.” Harry whispers, lips ghosting over Louis’ skin and Louis’ heart swells. _It would be okay if you did._ How could Harry be so fine with all of this? If he didn’t feel the honesty in their bond, Louis wouldn’t believe him. As it is, though, there’s no denying it; Harry doesn’t see a problem with this.

“I believe you.” Louis says, voice small. Harry plants another kiss to Louis’ neck, the affection making Louis’ omega quiver.

“I don’t want to be an alpha, but I don’t know that I am an omega either. It’s like… I’m something in between.”

“Beta?” Harry suggests, but Louis shakes his head immediately.

“I like that you can mark me. I like that you’re my alpha. I like this.” Louis says hands on Harry’s strong arms holding him.

“But I don’t always want to submit. And I think I want to be able to lead and take risks. I don’t ever want to be bound to someone else’s will. Even if I love them wholeheartedly. I think I’m more an omega than an alpha, but I don’t feel like an omega completely.”

Louis sighs, “I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“Louis. Life isn’t always so black and white. We’ve associated traits to biology, but those traits are, more often than not, arbitrary. Who says an omega has to always submit? Who says an omega can’t ever take risks or has to do exactly what an alpha tells them to do? You are more than your genders Lou and you don’t have to fit in a box.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

“You know what’s more important than all of this?”

Louis shakes his head and frowns.

“What’s most important, Lou, is that I love you. No matter what. No matter what gender. Nothing can keep me from loving you.”

Louis blinks back tears and swallows around the lump in his throat. He doesn’t deserve Harry. That much is obvious. But he is too selfish to care.

“I love you too Hazza.” He manages to answer in a whisper.

\---

Even though Louis keeps his expression steady while pain shoots through his shoulder, Harry must sense it and he gives Louis’ hand a reassuring squeeze.

Olivia’s removing his bandage, careful not to disturb the sling holding his arm to his chest, to assess his recovery. The wound doesn’t look very good, red and swollen and Louis can feel Harry worrying by his side. Judging by her widening eyes, Olivia thinks the same.

“That’s really something…” Olivia says mostly to herself. Harry tenses beside Louis.

“Is it bad?” Harry asks hand squeezing Louis’ almost painfully.

Olivia’s brought out of her own thoughts and smiles widely at Harry.

“Not at all, Louis is doing great! I’m amazed at how great he’s doing, considering.”

Harry sighs and eases his grip on Louis’ hand. Louis relaxes as well, hoping he’ll be out of the hospital quickly.

While Olivia redresses his wound, however, Louis sees her eyes water slightly.

“Are you okay Oliv’?” Louis asks.

“Yes, I’m sorry, everything’s fine. I’m just a bit emotional today. My rut must be approaching or something.” Louis doesn’t point out that this doesn’t make any sense. Alphas typically don’t get emotional before a rut, maybe more aggressive or protective but not really emotional. Seeing his and Harry’s confusion, Olivia sighs and elaborates,

“It’s just… I remember how long it took you to heal a simple cut when you first arrived here and now, you almost died from blood loss, your shoulder was dislocated and here you are recovering from it like it was nothing. I haven’t seen a lot of omegas heal as fast as you are healing right now.”

“Oh.” Louis looks at Harry who’s grinning unabashedly and Louis smiles back, knowing that Harry’s presence has a lot to do with his current healing capabilities.

Then Olivia’s words crush through Louis’ happiness like a needle through a balloon.

“Still, I’m putting you on bed rest for a week with Harry nearby as much as possible. You can go back to the Main House, but you are to avoid any physical activity.”

“Wait, what? No way, I’m fine!” Louis goes to show just how fine he is, wanting to move his wounded arm out of his sling to prove it, but Harry anticipates his move and restrains his arm to his chest.

“I’ll see to it.” Harry says diligently and Louis shoots him a glare.

“_Any_ activity Harry. I mean it.” Olivia reaffirms looking at Harry who nods understandingly. Louis glares at the both of them. This isn’t fair at all. A week in bed not being able to do much is one thing, but a week in bed with Harry so close, but not doing _anything_… that’s just unacceptable. Besides, he feels fine. He can think of _some_ activities he could do with Harry that don’t demand that much. Surely, Harry is just humoring Olivia. Surely, they won’t abstain for that long.

\---

“Oh come on Li! I’m so booooreddd!” Louis does his best rendition of puppy eyes he can muster along with a pout that, he’s learned, gets to Harry every time. Unfortunately, Liam isn’t so easily persuaded as he shakes his head, unwavering.

“Louis, you need to rest. You almost died only 24 hours ago, there’s no way you’re already bored. Besides, Harry would flip –“

“Harry would let me get out of here if he were there.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m here instead.”

Louis rolls his eyes. “He’s not here ‘cause he had to attend a council meeting.”

“You can always try your puppy eyes on him when he returns. For now, it’s your turn.”

Louis sighs dramatically as he plays a +4, making Liam groan. They’re at their third game of Uno and Louis thinks he’ll go crazy from how bored he is. He thinks this whole ordeal is complete bullshit as he’s been hurt before and never had to rest for a whole week in bed. He would have never been safe enough to rest for a week when he was on his own. He always had to keep moving. He can’t deny how nice it is to be looked after and safe enough to just lay in bed all day doing nothing. But it’s also incredibly frustrating. It’s only been one day, and Louis feels like crawling out of skin, he needs to move, go outside, run. But he’s stuck here with Liam playing Uno instead.

He can’t wait for Harry to come back so he can convince him to let him outside. Surely, he’ll be easier to convince than Liam, right?


	43. Louis Is Not Nesting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late, but a little longer. :) 
> 
> I hope you all had a good Christmas time for those who celebrate it, despite the pandemic <3

“How is he?” Harry asks as Liam puts away the playing cards.

“Exhausted, but somehow already bored.”

Harry snorts looking at his soulmate’s sleeping form. That’s just like Louis to feel restless after only one day in bed. He smiles as Louis snores softly in his sleep looking positively drained.

“How did it go?” Liam asks. Harry tears his eyes away from his mate to look at an anxious Liam reminding him of the council meeting and his own fatigue. Harry sighs heavily and sits on the bed next to Louis who unconsciously snuggles closer. Petting Louis’ hair gently, Harry answers,

“I don’t know what to do. It would have been so much easier if the bastard had just died.”

“Yeah. We can still arrange that.” Harry’s surprised by the venom in Liam’s voice, Liam who’s usually so clement.

Harry tries to glare at his friend, but he can’t bring himself to condemn the sentiment. If anyone wants to kill Troy, it’s Harry. He wants the Alpha to suffer more than one death for what he put Louis through. But,

“Louis should be the one to decide. Besides, we don’t have the death penalty here. Even though I’d love to make an exception as Louis’ mate, I can’t make that decision as the pack’s Alpha.”

“Troy isn’t pack.”

Harry feels the signs of a growing headache. He’d had the same debate during his council meeting, and they hadn’t come up with anything productive other than keeping Tory imprisoned and talking to Louis about it.

“Death seems too easy for him.”

At that Liam nods. “That’s true.”

\---

Louis wakes up alone, tiredness still seeping in his bones and a sharp pain throbbing from his shoulder to the rest of his arm. Sleep not coming back to him anytime soon and a growing calling to the bathroom, he resolves to get up.

Once he’s done washing up, without thinking about it, he tunes into Harry, trying to figure out what he’s doing through their bond. It’s a weird feeling when he smells the food through Harry’s nose and feels how he’s trying to be silent and sneaky, probably not wanting to wake anybody up. Looking out the window at the sunrise, Louis figures it is still fairly early.

Naturally, Louis’ feet take him downstairs towards his soulmate and the promise of breakfast. Once he pushes the door to the kitchen, he’s met with the fabulous sight of Harry’s back working over the stove. As always, the Alpha is cooking a ridiculous amount of food for just the two of them, but Louis has learned to accept it and go with it, understanding now that it’s his alpha’s way of caring for him. Louis leans on the doorframe, minding his bad shoulder, happy to observe undetected. Of course, their bond doesn’t allow for much secrecy and it’s not long before Harry turns around and discovers him lurking.

“Louis?” Worry taints Harry’s smell immediately. “What are you doing up?”

The Alpha closes the distance between them in just a few large steps. Only then does Louis realize he’s supposed to stay in bed. Louis shrugs and regrets it immediately. Lost in their bond, Louis had forgotten the pain of his barely healed wound coming back full force now. He hisses threw his answer,

“I wanted to be with you.” Louis hates how needy he sounds, but he can’t help it. His omega is taking over, instincts more powerful than reason. A rare occurrence in Louis’ life.

Harry’s worried eyes soften at that.

“And _I_ wanted to bring you breakfast in bed.” Harry’s pout is adorable, and Louis kisses it, eliciting a low appreciative hum from his soulmate and forgetting all about his shoulder in the process. When Louis tries to deepen the kiss, Harry groans and takes a step back putting some distance between them. Louis isn’t having any of it and grabs Harry’s shirt with his functioning arm to pull him back into his space. Harry doesn’t resist.

“Can I help?” Louis asks between two tender kisses, wanting to take the words back as soon as Harry tenses and pulls back.

“Absolutely not Lou. You’re hurting. Where’s your sling?” Louis frowns not understanding what Harry’s talking about for a second until he remembers the sling hanging from the bed frame upstairs. Olivia had been adamant about not removing it even while sleeping. However, Louis had felt too restricted and had removed it during the night, not too bothered by the pain. _Oh well._

“I forgot to put it back on this morning.”

“Louis. You’re not supposed to take it off at all! You need to go back to bed, take your painkillers and rest.” There’s no place for debate in Harry’s voice. Louis opens his mouth to argue but Harry cuts him off with another kiss. Louis prolongs it for as long as he can, both melting into one another.

“I’ll join you in a bit.” Harry says, giving Louis’ cheek a peck and going back to the stove. With a lingering gaze towards his mate, Louis goes back to their bedroom.

Unsurprisingly, Harry comes back with a gigantic tray of pastries, eggs, bacon, fruits, crepes, sausages, muffins, orange juice and tea. They won’t even put a dent in the amount of sustenance Harry’s bringing in with a little difficulty, an endearing sight.

“You’re ridiculous.” Louis says, smiling fondly as his soulmate settles beside him, laying the tray on top of them both.

\---

“So, I need to talk to you about something.” Harry says, grim. Or, as grim as someone can look while stuffing their face with watermelon slices.

“What is it?” Louis asks, pouring syrup over the crepes.

“Your father…uh… He’s alive.”

Louis’ eyes widen and he freezes, syrup flooding the plate.

“I’m sorry Lou.” Harry continues, voice calm and low, wanting to sooth the aches he can feel rising in their bond. “We’re detaining him, he can’t hurt you anymore, I won’t let him, you have my word Louis.” Louis has stopped drowning the poor crepes, barely edible now and Harry counts that as a small victory. He waits for the omega to say something, but he just stares at his plate, face unreadable. In their bond, there isn’t much information either, as if Louis had detached himself from the situation.

“We need to decide what to do with him. We don’t have the death penalty here but say the word and I’ll take care of it.” Harry feels like he’s talking to a wall. He lets silence envelop them, hoping the quiet pondering will help Louis process the information. With the passing minutes, Harry grows more and more worried.

“Louis?” Harry pushes gently.

Louis swallows visibly and closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again, there’s a new determination, but the pain in their bond pierces through Harry’s heart like a knife.

“Could you pass me the strawberries please?” Louis says evenly and Harry obliges, worried frown never leaving his face.

“Man, those are some good fruits, seriously. Do you grow fruit in headquarters? This is great.” Louis rambles after biting into a strawberry.

“Lou…” Harry tries, but there’s a silent plea in Louis’ eyes and Harry nods, understanding that Louis is asking for time.

“No, we don’t grow our own fruits, but we do have a greenhouse for vegetables.”

Louis shakes his head with a grin, not fully reaching his eyes.

“That’s cool. Do you think we could check it out today?”

Harry knows exactly what Louis is doing with those puppy eyes of his. But he also knows Louis probably wants to avoid ruminating on his father’s existence in bed all day, craving a distraction.

“Lou… you’re still recovering.” The puppy eyes double in force and Harry rolls his eyes, defeated.

“Okay fine, but you’ll put your sling on and we’re coming right back to bed afterwards.”

Olivia would have a fit if she knew, the genuine grin Louis sends his way is worth every trouble.

\---

The greenhouse is magical. There’s no other word for it. It’s enormous, made of glass, letting the light filter through every corner. There’s a section with flowers Louis passes through without a second glance. But the back is all vegetables and plants growing on every surface and ponds with water lilies, toads and colorful fishes. It’s wonderful.

Harry’s holding the hand not trapped in his sling while Louis makes appreciative sounds, mind momentarily distracted from the image of his father alive and restrained in some kind of cell. When they turn a corner, they stumble upon Gregory in the process of choosing ripe cucumbers to add to his bag. The bulky stern alpha, out of uniform and seemingly pleased with the mundane activity offers an amusing picture.

“Louis! Good to see you up and about. Good morning Harry.”

Harry nods in acknowledgment.

“Thank you, Greg. It’s good to be up.” Louis says with a polite smile.

“I was going to visit you later today, but since we’re meeting now, we should probably get that punishment out of the way.”

Both Louis and Harry’s expressions must look pretty comical judging by the glint in Gregory’s eyes.

“Punishment?” Louis asks, mouth going dry.

“For stealing.” Greg deadpans.

Harry squeezes Louis’ hand in frustration.

“You can’t be serious Greg. After everything that’s happened since, you’re still hung up on that?” Harry’s fuming, anger flaring in their bond.

“I see no reason to wait any longer, Harry.” Gregory appears completely unbothered.

“Well, I do!” Harry growls, glaring at Greg. Louis squeezes Harry’s hand back to get his attention.

“Hazza, it’s okay. I stole from you, we agreed this wouldn’t go unpunished. _I_ agreed. So, let’s get it over with.”

“This is insane, Greg, you can’t possibly – “

“Harry, with all due respect, you shouldn’t have any say in the matter given your significant bias.”

Harry swallows down his objections sending a deathly glare in Greg’s direction who waits for their attention before continuing.

“Now, what I had in mind, and, of course, only if Louis deems it acceptable, is community service.”

If Louis deems it acceptable? Why would Louis have any say in his own punishment?

“Community service?” Louis asks, wary.

“Yes. I believe you would be a great asset to our spy organization. You’ve proven your capabilities time and time again. I think officially becoming sergeant and serving the pack’s interests should more than make up for the stolen goods.”

Louis gapes stunned. This is far from a punishment, more like a job offer. There’s no trace of humor in Greg’s posture, but, if Louis isn’t mistaken, there is a tiny shadow of a smile turning the corner of his lips upwards.

Fighting a smile of his own, Louis nods,

“Seems reasonable to me.”

“It’s settled then, Sergeant Tomlinson.”

\---

The greenhouse and Gregory’s unexpected proposal give Louis enough distraction to keep thoughts of his father at bay until his wound starts to ache again and tiredness weighs heavily on his body. Harry senses the change immediately and rushes Louis back to their bedroom, not leaving any room for Louis’ protests on the way. Even Louis’ perfected puppy eyes can’t break his soulmate’s resolve. Harry makes him take painkillers again and Louis’ out as soon as his head hits the pillow.

\---

Louis wakes surrounded by warmth and safety. He recognizes Harry’s arms around him immediately and smiles, content. When he blinks awake, he discovers that Harry is fast asleep and takes a moment to appreciate the sight. A look to the window informs him of the late hour, faded rays of the rising moon illuminating the room vaguely. He’d slept the whole afternoon away, but there is still heaviness in his body, willing his eyelids shut. Louis rests his head on Harry’s chest, breathing in the familiar scent and letting it lull him back to sleep.

Usually, the scent would be enough, but Louis can’t seem to stay still. It’s as if there isn’t enough of Harry’s scent surrounding him. Eyes still half closed, he gets up and grabs the shirt Harry had discarded before hopping into bed. He goes back to bed and lays the shirt on top of himself before resting his head on Harry’s body again, mindful of his arm entrapped in the irritating sling.

Just seconds after, still feeling on edge, he gets up again, feet leading him to Harry’s wardrobe. He takes a sweatshirt and goes to leave it at that but, mind foggy from sleep, decides to grab more items, the ones Harry wears the most, the ones smelling most like forest, rain and security. Hasty to get back to bed and finally relax, Louis brings his findings and lays them around himself and Harry. After fussing over the lay out a little, arm giving him some grief, his heart settles enough for him to resume his position in Harry’s arms. He falls asleep almost immediately lulled by the overpowering scent of his soulmate.

\---

Harry’s warm. His first thought goes to Louis as he opens his eyes, thinking that his mate might have a fever. But then he takes in what seems like the entirety of his wardrobe laid out on the bed. Eyes widening, Harry slowly comprehends the situation until a grin splits his face in two. Louis is nesting. Trying not to disturb the sleeping blunder on top of him, Harry brings his nose to Louis’ neck. There’s something new mixed in with sweet tea and citrus something like freshly cut grass and coffee. Louis smells delicious and Harry has to stifle a growl of pure desire. He has to control wanting to abide by Olivia’s bed rest rules. Still, Harry groans softly as he indulges in Louis’ scent a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Legend says, every time someone leaves a comment, a kitten is saved from certain death. Save the kittens!


End file.
